Former diplomat and ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhi has filed his nomination for the seat of Amritsar for the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The ex diplomat and BJP candidate submitted his nomination on Friday and was accompanied by external affairs minister S Jaishankar.
Sandhu, who retired from his duties as the Indian envoy to the US in February, joined the Bharatiya Janta Party in March.
Ahead of his nomination, the former Ambassador has been a key voice in the demand to bring US consulates in Indian cities after being an integral cog in the opening of the Indian consulate in Seattle. The Indian consulate in Seattle was the sixth Indian office to be opened in the US, after New York, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta and San Francisco.
Sandhu, along with EAM Jaishankar held a roadshow in Amritsar before filing his nomination on Friday. As per ANI, the union minister is in support of Sandhu running for a seat in the Parliament and that there is "no better candidate".
"He will be a good Parliament member and is a very popular diplomat. He has served the country a lot. Now the time has come to serve the Amritsar. He is held in high esteem in Delhi. You can't choose a better candidate than Taranjit Sandhu to take forward the interests of Amritsar and Punjab," stated Jaishankar.
Who Is Taranjit Singh Sandhu?
Taranjit Singh Sandhu is the former Indian ambassador to the United States. The ex-diplomat retired from his duties in February 2023 and a month later joined the ruling BJP.
Sandhu, who hails from Amritsar, has vowed towards opening a US consulate in Amritsar. The ex diplomat assumed charge as the ambassador in February 2020.
His appointment as the envoy came during former US President Donald Trump's visit to India ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before this, Sandhu served as the Deputy Chief of mission at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC from 2013 to 2017.
