Former Aam Aadmi Party MP from Patiala, Dharamvira Gandhi on Monday joined the Congress party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024. After being inducted into the grand old party, Gandhi said that the upcoming polls are important as they would decide the direction of the country.
"The upcoming Lok Sabha elections are very important, it will decide the direction of the country," Gandhi said, adding, "At such times it is very important to stand with the right. That's why I have joined Congress."
Dharamvira Gandhi, who is a cardiologist by profession and hails from Patiala is likely to get a ticket from the same seat, considered his stonghold for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls after Preneet Kaur left the party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, according to an ABP News report.
Gandhi had joined the Aam Aadmi Party in 2013 and the next year, in 2014, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party fielded him from Patiala for the Lok Sabha polls.
He won the polls defeating former Punjab Chief Minister Amrinder Singh's wife Preneet Kaur. Gandhi garnered 3,65,671 while Kaur recieved 3,44,729 votes.
But soon after his victory Gandhi maintained a distance from the party and was suspended in 2015 after he raised his voice against the expulsion of party leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan.
In 2019, h floated his new party, Nava Punjab and again entered the poll fray for the Lok Sabha elections that year but stood at third place this time.
With him joining the Congress, he also merged his party with the grand old party.