Haryana, the land that gave Indian politics the colloquial expression Aya Ram, Gaya Ram, saw another political shocker when former Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar joined the Congress hours after campaigning for the BJP.
As the campaigning for the Haryana Assembly elections approached a closure, Tanwar joined the Congress in Mahindergarh in the presence of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. Former Chief Minister Bhupendra Singh Hooda welcomed him into the Congress.
Till Thursday morning, Tanwar had been campaigning for the BJP both on the ground and on social media.
It hadn't been even a year since Ashok Tanwar had switched to the BJP from the Aam Aadmi Party. He joined the saffron party in January this year. Tanwar joined the AAP in 2021, switching from the Trinamool Congress. He joined the TMC in 2021 from the Congress, which he had joined in 2019.
In the last Lok Sabha elections, he was the BJP candidate against Kumari Selja from the Sirsa seat.
Haryana Home Minister and BJP leader Anil Vij reacted to Tanwar's move, saying: "Ashok Tanwar is a migratory bird. His move to the Congress is of no consequence to the BJP."
Ashok Tanwar's Return To Congress Comes After Kumari Selja Meets Sonia Gandhi
Sirsa MP Kumari Selja, who won against Ashok Tanwar earlier this year in the Lok Sabha election in Haryana, is reportedly upset with the party. She was mostly missing from the party's campaigns for the assembly polls. Selja, a heavyweight Dalit leader in the Congress, has been unhappy over the ticket distribution in Haryana.
She wanted more tickets for more of her supporters. Her grouse is mostly with Former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi met Selja on Thursday morning. She is likely to have placated Selja. According to reports, Kumari Selja felt that she could have been the CM face for the party, but Hooda put his foot down and prevented her from getting a ticket.
With her Lok Sabha rival Ashok Tanwar joining her party, Haryana politics has now turned interesting. It is not known for sure yet whether Selja was kept in the loop about Ashok Tanwar's imminent move.