Former Punjab convenor for the Aam Aadmi Party Sucha Singh Chhotepur on Saturday floated a new political outfit called “Apna Punjab”. He said the he would join hands with other “like-minded parties” and form a "progressive alliance" to contest the 2017 Assembly elections in the state, PTI reported. He had officially resigned from the AAP on Friday.

Chhotepur said, “The programme of the party is to save Punjab, to make Punjab drug free, save its industries, save its farmers, to end corruption, to clear Jungle Raj, to respect the poor, and to take everyone along.” He added that there was a need for regional parties to come together in the state as all three major parties in Punjab have national interests – the Congress, AAP and and the Bharatiya Janata Party, which rules the state in an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal.

The AAP had removed Chhotepur from his position on August 26 following allegations that he had taken money from a party volunteer and promised a government office in return. A video had emerged in which he was purportedly seen taking a packet of cash from the volunteer. Chhotepur had denied the allegations, saying he had merely accepted "party fund" from the volunteer and there was a conspiracy against him. A party leader had said the volunteer gave Chhotepur Rs 2 lakh in cash.