Former Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch Parkash Singh Badal’s cousin, Major Bhupinder Singh Dhillon (retd), is set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday evening, giving a fresh political twist to developments that had sparked speculation earlier this year.Popularly known as Major Bhup, he had served as political secretary to Parkash Singh Badal during the SAD-BJP government and remained a prominent figure associated with the former Chief Minister’s family. He was also appointed political secretary to Badal in the rank of Minister of State in 2012.Dhillon is the son of late former MP Gurraj Singh Badal, the younger brother of Parkash Singh Badal’s father, Raghuraj Singh. Dhillon’s ancestral home is located next to the old residence of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal at Badal village here.His decision to join the BJP assumes significance at a time when the party is preparing for the 2027 Assembly elections and seeking to expand its support base in the state.In June, The Tribune was the first to report that Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini had visited his residence in Chandigarh to inquire about his well-being when Dhillon was recovering from spine surgery.At that time, Dhillon had told The Tribune that Manpreet Singh Badal had visited him thrice, but no one from Sukhbir Singh Badal’s family had come. Later, Sukhbir visited his residence.While talking to The Tribune, Bhupinder Singh Dhillon said, “I along with my son Amarvir Singh Bawa will join the BJP this evening in the presence of senior leaders Kewal Singh Dhillon, Manthri Srinivasulu, Nayab Singh Saini and Manpreet Singh Badal.”Asked if he would contest the Assembly election from Lambi as a BJP nominee, he said, “I have not demanded anything from the party.”In the Lambi Assembly constituency, the BJP had fielded its former Muktsar district president Rakesh Dhingra in the 2022 state Assembly polls against Parkash Singh Badal of the SAD, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Gurmeet Singh Khuddian and Congress candidate Jagpal Singh Abulkhurana.Khuddian polled 66,313 votes, Badal 54,917, Jagpal 10,136 and Dhingra 1,116, fewer than the votes polled for NOTA.Sources said the party may field Bhupinder from Lambi in the coming Assembly polls.Notably, former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who is a cousin of Sukhbir Singh Badal and was recently appointed National Vice-President of the BJP, is also a resident of Badal village.Manpreet Badal, however, is active in the Bathinda Urban and Gidderbaha Assembly constituencies.