Punjab: SAD (Longowal) merges with Congress
The Akali splinter group Shiromani Akali Dal (Longowal), headed by former Punjab Chief Minister Surjit Singh Barnala's wife, on Sunday formally merged with the Congress. Announcing the "unconditional" merger, Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh said this will strengthen the party ahead of the 2017 polls in the state. Speaking about AAP, Singh said they don't consider it as a "force".