Former MP Ashok Tanwar does 'ghar waapsi' to Congress

Ashok Tanwar, a former Lok Sabha MP who joined the BJP in January 2024 and unsuccessfully ran for office in this year's general election, has made a return to his home party — the Indian National Congress (INC).

Tanwar, a former MP from Sirsa, was the chief of the Haryana Congress from 2014 until his departure in 2019. He then joined the Trinamool Congress in 2021 and switched to the Aam Aadmi Party in 2022.

Tanwar left the AAP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections because he disagreed with Arvind Kejriwal's decision to ally with the Congress.

After leaving the AAP, he joined the BJP and contested the election from Sira, losing to Congress candidate Kumari Selja.

"The Congress has always raised its voice for the oppressed and deprived sections of society. Influenced by our struggle and dedication, senior BJP leader, former MP, member of the BJP's campaign committee, and star campaigner Ashok Tanwar joined the Congress," the main opposition party said in a post on X.

This morning, Tanwar was tweeting his endorsement of BJP candidates running for the Haryana Assembly.

Just an hour later, he was spotted with Rahul Gandhi at the Congress gathering when the announcer spoke about his "ghar wapasi (homecoming)". The tweets have been removed now.

On the final day of the campaign trail before the Haryana Assembly election, Tanwar announced his comeback to the Congress.

On Oct 5, the state's 90 Assembly segments will cast their votes. On Oct 8, the votes will be counted.

The BJP is seeking a third consecutive term in government while the Congress is making a lot of effort to regain power.