Sapna Chaudhary takes U-turn hours after joining Congress

Haryanvi singer-dancer Sapna Chaudhary on Sunday denied joining the Congress party and said she was never a part of it.

Dance Sapna Chaudhary with Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi (C). Photo: Twitter

NEW DELHI: Hours after she was formally inducted into the Congress at its Uttar Pradesh unit chief Raj Babbar's residence, dancer Sapna Chaudhary on Sunday denied joining the party and said her pictures with Congress leaders being circulated on the social media were old. "I have not joined the Congress party. The photograph with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is old. I have met Priyanka Gandhi several times before and she is very good but I am not going to campaign for any political party," she told the media. Her statement comes a day after photographs surfaced in which she is seen signing some papers. The singer, however, said she had no idea of the photographs. "I cannot tell what kind of paper was that and I am not sure of when it is. I meet with people of all parties and I am an artist. I am not joining politics. When I will join politics, I will come out in the open", she said. However, contrary to Chaudhary claims, a party official confirmed that she arrived at the residence of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Raj Babbar with her sister and took the membership of the party after filling a form on Sunday. Babbar also tweeted a photo of Sapna Chaudhary with Pariyanka Gandhi and announced her arrival in the Congress. "Sapna Chaudhary is welcomed to Congress family," Babbar posted. Images have also emerged of the membership form that bears Chaudhary's picture and is signed by her as part of joining Congress. According to sources, Chaudhary wanted that she be made the Congress candidate from the Mathura constituency of Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. She took the U-turn as she was miffed with the Congress over denial of the ticket, they said. Chaudhary wanted to contest elections from Mathura against Hema Malini of the BJP and met Congress General Secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia before joining the party. She also met Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress general secretary in charge of east Uttar Pradesh. Mathura has a dominant Jat presence and Choudhary hails from the same background. From Mathura, Congress fielded a local businessman Mahesh Pathak. His name featured in the list released by the Congress late Saturday night. (With inputs from ANI)