Haryana elections: Ex-MP Ashok Tanwar seeks votes for BJP, hours later joins Congress in Rahul Gandhi’s presence

Senior leader and former MP Ashok Tanwar rejoined the Congress on Thursday during a rally held by Rahul Gandhi in Haryana’s Mahendragarh district. 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, amidst the announcement that "aaj unki ghar vapsi ho gayi ha (today, he has returned to the Congress fold)".

Notably, Tanwar was campaigning for BJP candidate Randhir Panihar hours before joining Congress

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 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 of opposition.

Meawhile, speaking about the move, senior BJP leader Anil Vij said, "He is a migratory bird and it is his character to hop on different branches. These kind of people are not faithful to anyone. If he was not ours, he cannot be of Congress either.

AAP's Amar Singh joins Congress

In a setback to the 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”.

The party said in a statement that he joined the Congress in the presence of Partap Singh Bajwa, the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly. 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-led party and Congress did not materialise last month.