Punjab polls: Former Cong leader Joginder Singh Mann joins AAP

New Delhi, Jan 15 (IANS) Ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls, former cabinet minister and three-time MLA Joginder Singh Mann on Saturday severed his 50-year association with the Congress and joined the AAP.

Mann joined the AAP in the presence of party convenor Arvind Kejriwal. Mann served as Minister in the cabinets of Beant Singh, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Amarinder Singh.

AAP leader and the party's Punjab in-charge for the polls Raghav Chadha said that the party will be strengthened with Mann's induction.

Taking to Twitter, Chadha said: "Inspired by Arvind ji's vision, Punjab's former cabinet minister & 3 time MLA Joginder Singh Mann ji joins AAP ending his 50 year old association with Congress. He was presently chairman of Punjab Agro Industries Corp. His induction will give a huge boost to party's unit in Punjab."

Chadha also shared a pic showing Mann's induction into the AAP in the presence of Kejriwal.

Mann, who is a SC leader, was miffed with the Congress over inaction against the accused in the alleged post-matric SC scholarship scam worth crores of rupees and non-grant of district status to Phagwara.

In a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Mann said, "I was three-time MLA from Phagwara. I never wanted to leave the Congress. But the Congress is patronising the accused of the scam. My conscience does not allow me to continue in the party."

Polling for Punjab's 117 assembly seats will be held on February 14 and the results will be declared on March 10.

The Congress is yet to announce candidates for the polls while the AAP has declared the names of more than 100 candidates.