TNFNew Delhi/ TNF
In a significant political development ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections, former MP and BJP leader Ashok Tanwar officially rejoined the Congress party on Thursday, October 3. The momentous occasion unfolded during a rally in Mahendergarh, where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi welcomed him back into the fold, alongside former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who acknowledged Tanwar from a distance.
Tanwar’s political journey has been anything but linear. He originally left Congress five years ago due to differences with Hooda, and subsequently explored affiliations with several parties, including the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Most recently, he joined the BJP on January 20, just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, marking a rapid succession of party changes in a mere five years. Notably, after leaving Congress in 2019, he even established his own party called Bharat Morcha.
His re-entry into Congress comes at a crucial juncture, especially considering that the BJP had fielded him as a candidate for the Sirsa seat in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In a fierce contest, he faced off against Congress candidate Kumari Selja, who won decisively with a margin of 268,497 votes, indicating a challenging political landscape for Tanwar.
Tanwar’s return is perceived as a setback for the BJP, given his influence in the Scheduled Caste (SC) community. He represents a constituency where the SC voter base exceeds 813,000, comprising various groups, including 358,000 Jats, 190,000 Jatt Sikhs, and 115,000 Punjabis. These demographics span nine significant seats, including Sirsa, Fatehabad, Ellenabad, and more, all falling under the Sirsa Lok Sabha constituency.
Interestingly, just two hours before his rejoining Congress, Tanwar attended a campaign event for BJP candidate Ramkumar Gautam in the Safidon seat of Jind district. Although Haryana’s acting Chief Minister, Nayab Saini, was expected to attend, he did not make it to the event. A photo of Tanwar with Gautam circulated on social media, capturing a moment of apparent allegiance to the BJP before his dramatic shift back to Congress.
Tanwar’s political career began in 1993 when he was only 17 years old, joining the Congress party. Over the years, he rose through the ranks, becoming the national president of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) in 2003 and the Youth Congress in 2005, working closely with Rahul Gandhi. His ascent culminated in February 2014 when he was appointed the president of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee.
However, his relationship with Hooda has always been tumultuous, ultimately leading to his departure from the party in October 2019. Frustrated by ticket distribution issues ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections, he alleged that Congress had sold tickets for ₹5 crore, a claim that underscored his discontent with the party’s internal dynamics.
With Tanwar’s return to Congress, the party may bolster its position in the upcoming elections, as he seeks to reclaim his influence in Haryana’s political landscape. His shifting allegiances reflect the volatile nature of regional politics, where party loyalty can change swiftly, often driven by personal and ideological conflicts. As the elections draw closer, the implications of his rejoining will be closely watched by both Congress and the BJP, signaling a new chapter in Haryana’s political saga.
