Senior leader and former MP Ashok Tanwar rejoined the Congress during a rally held by Rahul Gandhi in Haryana’s Mahendragarh district on Thursday. The move came as a big blow to the BJP only two days ahead of the state elections.
In a dramatic move, as Rahul Gandhi was concluding his address, a message was delivered from the stage, requesting the crowd to remain for a few more minutes. Tanwar, who had joined the BJP earlier this year, walked onto the stage and it was announced that “aaj unki ghar vapsi ho gayi ha (today, he has returned to the Congress fold)”.
Tanwar, once seen as a close associate of Gandhi, rejoined Congress just before campaigning for the October 5 Haryana Assembly elections concluded. He had left the party in 2019 due to disagreements with senior leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
The former Haryana Congress chief was welcomed back by Gandhi and greeted by Hooda, who acknowledged him with a pat on the back. Senior leader K C Venugopal was also on stage during the event. Tanwar had joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in April 2022 after a brief stint with the Trinamool Congress.
Tanwar’s return, as a prominent Dalit leader, is expected to strengthen Congress as it seeks to reclaim power from the BJP after a decade in opposition.
AAP’s Amar Singh joins Congress
In a setback to AAP ahead of Saturday’s Haryana Assembly polls, the party’s Nilokheri (reserve) seat candidate Amar Singh joined the Congress.
After joining the party, Singh on Wednesday said only Congress can defeat the BJP government which has been “unjust to farmers, women, Dalits, and minorities”.
He joined the Congress here in presence of Partap Singh Bajwa, Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, the party said in a statement.
Bajwa formally inducted Singh into the party, it added.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is part of the INDIA bloc, but is contesting the Haryana elections on its own after the talks between the Arvind Kejriwal outfit and Congress last month to forge an alliance for the state polls did not materialise.
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