Former Gujarat Congress MLA PD Vasava, who was suspended for "anti-party" activities weeks after the December 2022 assembly elections, was on Thursday re-inducted into the outfit along with his supporters ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The four-time MLA, who was suspended for "anti-party" activities in January 2023, rejoined the opposition Congress along with 40 supporters here.
He was welcomed into the party by former Gujarat Congress president Arjun Modhwadia and his colleague Himmatsinh Patel.
PD Vasava was denied a ticket by the Congress to contest the 2022 assembly elections from Nandod in Narmada district, from where he was then the sitting MLA.
The Congress eventually lost the predominantly tribal seat to the ruling BJP. The Congress later suspended the MLA after local leaders pointed fingers at him for the defeat of Congress candidate Haresh Vasava.
PD Vasava had not joined any party after his suspension from the Congress.
"Vasava, a four-time MLA, was away from us for sometime, but he is back with us today. I welcome him. The Congress has always worked for the tribal population and will continue to do so," said Arjun Modhwadia.
The former MLA criticised the state's BJP government.
"Under the BJP rule, the people of Gujarat are suffering, youths are not getting jobs, higher education is out of reach of the poor and farmers are suffering. There is a need for change of government in Gujarat," Vasava said.
The Congress had won just 17 seats, out of the total 182, in the last assembly polls.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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