Former Panchkula mayor Upinder Kaur Ahluwalia joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday, marking a significant shift in Haryana's political landscape just weeks before municipal corporation elections. Ahluwalia, who served as mayor from 2013 to 2018, expressed her dissatisfaction with the Congress party's leadership and operations in her resignation letter submitted to Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president Rao Narender Singh. She criticized senior Congress leader and Panchkula MLA Chander Mohan, alleging that he had worked against her in multiple elections, including the 2020 mayoral elections, where she lost by 2,047 votes. Despite reaching out to the then Haryana Congress president Kumari Selja regarding her grievances, she felt no action was taken. Following her resignation, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini welcomed Ahluwalia to the BJP, emphasizing the party's commitment to serving the people of Panchkula. Her departure is anticipated to have a considerable impact on Congress's electoral prospects in the region.