Major (retd) Bhupinder Singh Dhillon, cousin of late former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, is set to formally join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday evening. Popularly known as 'Major Bhup', Dhillon served as political secretary to Parkash Singh Badal during the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP coalition government and has long been a prominent figure associated with the Badal family.Dhillon is the son of late former Member of Parliament Gurraj Singh Badal, who was the younger brother of Parkash Singh Badal's father, Raghuraj Singh. His ancestral residence in Badal village is situated right next to the former residence of Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal.The move holds significant political weight as the BJP actively seeks to expand its organizational footprint in Punjab ahead of the 2027 state assembly elections. Political speculation surrounding his transition began earlier this year in June, when Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini visited Dhillon at his Chandigarh residence while he was recovering from spinal surgery. At the time, Dhillon noted that former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal had visited him three times during his recovery, whereas family members of Sukhbir Singh Badal visited later.Speaking about his decision, Dhillon confirmed that he and his son, Amarveer Singh Bawa, will join the party in the presence of senior BJP leaders, including Kewal Singh Dhillon, organizational secretary Srinivasulu, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini, and Manpreet Singh Badal. When asked about potential candidature from the Lambi assembly constituency, Dhillon clarified that he has made no demands to the party leadership.Sources indicate the BJP may consider fielding Dhillon from Lambi in the upcoming elections to strengthen its position in the region. In the 2022 assembly polls, the BJP candidate in Lambi garnered 1,116 votes, behind AAP's Gurmeet Singh Khuddian (66,313 votes), SAD's Parkash Singh Badal (54,917 votes), and Congress candidate Jagpal Singh Abulkhurana (10,136 votes). Former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, another cousin of Sukhbir Singh Badal who recently became a BJP national vice-president, also hails from Badal village, though his political activity remains centered around the Bathinda Urban and Gidderbaha constituencies.