Setback for BJP in Haryana as Dalit leader Ashok Tanwar rejoins Congress ahead of polls

Chandigarh: In a major setback to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Dalit leader Ashok Tanwar, a political heavyweight in Haryana politics, switched loyalties and rejoined the Congress on Thursday -- just two days ahead of the Assembly elections.

Tanwar rejoined the grand old party in the presence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda during a public rally in Mahendragarh district.

His sudden crossover has left the political analysts baffled. Some reports suggested that he was seen campaigning for the BJP hours ago, and he came to join the Congress during Rahul Gandhi's rally in the poll-bound state.

The Congress has welcomed him into the party fold, saying that his return to the party will strengthen the fight for the rights of Dalits in the state.

"Impressed by our struggle and dedication, a senior BJP leader and also a member of its campaign committee in Haryana joined us. Welcome back to the Congress family, best wishes for the future," the Congress wrote on X.

It said that the Congress has always raised the voice of the oppressed and the deprived and will continue to do so in protecting the Constitution.

Tanwar, a former MP, was the BJP's candidate from Sirsa for the Lok Sabha elections. He was defeated by Congress' Kumari Selja.

The BJP was trying to mobilise the Dalit voters through Tanwar.

"Even after quitting the Congress, I was in touch with several leaders of the party. Whatever happened in the past is history. Let bygones be bygones," he told the media after rejoining the Congress.

Congress leaders say Tanwar, a former Haryana Congress president, was in touch with Rahul Gandhi for quite some time and the decision to join the grand old party was taken on Wednesday.

Interestingly, a few days ago, Tanwar told Sirsa MP Selja to consider joining the BJP, following an offer from former chief minister and Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

At a public meeting, Tanwar had said: "Selja is like a sister to me, but she did not support me earlier. Her experience in the Congress mirrors mine. We spent years raising people's voices, only to have workers ignored."

Tanwar had joined the BJP in the presence of then Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in January this year ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, and lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, saying the country has changed in the past 10 years.

Before joining the BJP, Tanwar was chairman of the state election campaign committee of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He had quit the party after opposing AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal's decision to join hands with the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls in May.

Tanwar had resigned from the Congress in 2019. He then switched over to the Trinamool Congress in November 2021, and joined AAP in April 2022.

Meanwhile, addressing a mega poll rally for the upcoming October 5 Haryana elections, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that there was a battle of ideology in the country.

"On one side is Congress, which wants to run the country as per the Constitution. Whereas, on the other side are BJP-RSS, who want to abolish the Constitution," the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha said.

The Congress MP, in his poll rally, also raked up alleged mistreatment of women wrestlers during their demonstration on Delhi streets and urged the people to teach the BJP a lesson for its "misdeeds".

"You all saw what BJP did to the wrestlers of the country. BJP members are committing crimes against women without any fear, but the BJP does not care. This is an attack on the Constitution because the Constitution says that every woman in the country should be protected," he told the public gathering.