Former AAP MP from Punjab's Patiala, Dharamvir Gandhi on Monday joined the Congress in the presence of senior party leaders in New Delhi.


Gandhi's joining comes ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. He is likely to contest as a Congress candidate from the Patiala seat.


Dharamvir Gandhi contested the Patiala seat as the AAP candidate and won the Lok Sabha election in 2014 by defeating Preneet Kaur. However, Gandhi, a doctor by profession, quit the AAP in 2016 and formed his own outfit Nawan Punjab Party, which he merged with the Congress on Monday.


He joined the Congress at the party's headquarters in New Delhi in the presence of party leaders Pawan Khera, AICC in-charge for Punjab Devendra Yadav, Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja and Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Pratap Singh Bajwa.


Bajwa said the Congress will be strengthened with his joining while Warring said such professionals joining the the party is a good sign. 


Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja said that he is grateful that Dharamvir Gandhi has decided to join the Congress today and merge his party with the Congress.


"With the kind of politics going on in the country today, he has decided to carry the flag of the Congress Party. On behalf of the entire State Congress Committee, I congratulate and thank Dharamvir Gandhi," Raja said.


Dharamvir Gandhi said his sole purpose was to serve the people and he realised that he could do it best with the Congress party.


"I realised soon that the Aam Aadmi Party was not the party of my ideals. After Rahul Gandhi started his Bharat Jodo Yatra, I was impressed as these are not ordinary times and in such times one should stand with secular forces who raise people's issues and stand against religious polarisation," he said.  


He added that he had gone to Kanyakumari and joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra there as well as in Punjab and Srinagar. 


Several colleagues of his party including Rachhpal Singh Jauramajra, a prominent farmer leader, Harmeet Kaur Brar, Narinder Sandhu and others also joined the Congress along with him.