Chandigarh: Former Lok Sabha MP Ashok Tanwar, who joined the BJP in January and unsuccessfully contested the general election on 'lotus' symbol, is back in the Congress. Mr Tanwar rejoined the Congress at party leader Rahul Gandhi's rally at Haryana's Mahendragarh today.
A former Congress MP from Sirsa, Mr Tanwar served as Haryana Congress chief from 2014 to 2019, when he left the party. In 2021, he joined the Trinamool Congress and switched to AAP the next year. Mr Tanwar left AAP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, opposing AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal's decision to ally with Congress.
Following his exit from AAP, he joined the BJP and contested the general election from Sira but lost to Congress's Kumari Selja.
"The Congress has always raised its voice for the oppressed and deprived sections of the society. Influenced by our struggle and dedication, senior BJP leader, former MP, member of BJP's campaign committee and star campaigner Ashok Tanwar joined the Congress," the main Opposition party said in a post on X.
Mr Tanwar holds MPhil and PhD degrees from Jawaharlal Nehru University and started his political journey with Congress's student wing National Students Union of India. He was the student organisation's president and also headed the Congress's youth wing, Indian Youth Congress, before taking up higher roles in the party.
Interestingly, Mr Tanwar was tweeting in support of BJP candidates contesting the Haryana Assembly election this morning. An hour later, he was seen at the Congress rally with Mr Gandhi as the announcer spoke about his "ghar wapasi (homecoming)". The tweets have now been deleted.
Mr Tanwar's return to Congress happened on the last day of campaigning ahead of the Haryana Assembly election. The 90 Assembly segments in the state will vote on Saturday. Votes will be counted on Tuesday. While the Congress is pushing hard for a return to power, the BJP is aiming for a third consecutive term.