Senior leader and former MP Ashok Tanwar rejoined the Congress during Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Haryana’s Mahendragarh district on Thursday. Just two days before the state elections, this move is a big blow to the BJP.
In a dramatic move, as Rahul Gandhi was concluding his address, a message was given from the stage, requesting the crowd to stay for a few more minutes. Tanwar, who had joined the BJP earlier this year, took to the stage amid the announcement that “aaj uski ghar wapsi ho hai (Today, he has returned to the Congress)”.
It is noteworthy that a few hours before joining Congress, Tanwar was campaigning for BJP candidate Randhir Panihar.
Tanwar, once seen as a close aide of Gandhi, rejoined the Congress just before the end of the campaign for the Haryana Assembly elections on October 5. He left the party in 2019 due to disagreements with senior leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
The former Haryana Congress chief was welcomed by Gandhi and greeted by Hooda, who welcomed him with a pat on the back. Senior leader KC Venugopal was also on the stage during the program. Tanwar 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 the Congress as it seeks to wrest power from the BJP after a decade of opposition.
Meanwhile, speaking about the move, senior BJP leader Anil Vij said, “He is a migratory bird and hopping on different branches is his character. Such people are not loyal to anyone. If he is not ours, So that can’t happen either.” Either from Congress.
AAP leader Amar Singh joins Congress
In a blow to AAP ahead of Saturday’s assembly elections in Haryana, party’s Nilokheri (reserved) seat candidate Amar Singh joined the Congress.
After joining the party, Singh on Wednesday said only Congress can defeat the BJP government, which is doing “injustice to farmers, women, Dalits and minorities”.
The party said in a statement that he joined the Congress in the presence of Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Pratap Singh Bajwa. It said Bajwa formally inducted Singh into the party.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is part of the India block, but is contesting the Haryana elections on its own after talks broke down between the Arvind Kejriwal-led party and the Congress last month.
