Former Municipal Council Vice President and former Congress leader Davinderpal Singh (Hans Pal) Ranga joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday and was appointed the party’s halqa in-charge.Davinderpal and his brother, Pritpal Singh, are well-known local businessmen recognised for their innovative acumen. They are vendors for the Rail Coach Factory (RCF), supplying various metal components.The brothers came into the limelight when they donated 100 boats to flood-affected Sultanpur Lodhi. Recently, they also developed an innovative, hands-free garbage management mechanism designed to address the growing problem of municipal waste.AAP’s apparent plan to field Davinderpal from Kapurthala seems to be an attempt by the party to take on wealthy businessman Rana Gurjeet Singh in the constituency. Rana Gurjeet Singh or members of his family have won six consecutive elections from the seat, including a by-election in 2004.Along with Davinderpal, several prominent personalities from different fields in the constituency also joined AAP. Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema inducted the new members into the party and assured them that they would be given due respect and recognition within the organisation.Anoop Kallan, former Chairman of the Kapurthala District Planning Board and former Managing Director of the Central Cooperative Bank, Kapurthala, also joined AAP along with his associates.Other prominent entrants included Tarlochan Singh, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce at the Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala; Advocate Sarabjit Singh Walia, former President of the District Bar Association, Kapurthala, and former General Secretary of the Ahluwalia Biradari, Kapurthala; and Karan Mahajan, former President of the Youth Congress, Kapurthala.On the occasion, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the people-friendly development works being undertaken by the Punjab government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had inspired an increasing number of experienced leaders and other people to join AAP.He added that the induction of these leaders would further strengthen the party’s presence in the Kapurthala constituency and district.