There is some political solace for the Congress as the leaders who joined the saffron party in and around the Vidhan Sabha polls 2022 have rejoined the Congress.
While the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) SAD(B) too has received a shot in the arm with a few leaders joining the Akalis.
Balbir Sidhu, Raj Kumar Verka, and Gurpreet Kangar joined the party from the BJP, while former legislators Mohinder Kumar Rinwa, Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu, and Hansraj Josan have joined SAD(B).
Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, the president of the Punjab Congress, and Partap Singh Bajwa, the leader of the Congress Legislature Party, attended their re-induction into the party by KC Venugopal, general secretary of the All India Congress Committee.
According to Bajwa, the Congress will benefit from their comeback. He predicted that “this will inspire the party cadres in the state.”
Verka claimed that quitting the Congress party to join the BJP was a mistake. The Dalit representative from the Manjha region declared, “We have corrected our decision.”
“The BJP has not been able to accommodate all segments of society, unlike the Congress. It was my fault for leaving my mother party, Verka continued.
Verka, Balbir Sidhu, and Kangar, who had all served as ministers under the previous Congress administration, left the party in June of last year after the party suffered a crushing defeat in the state assembly elections, which cost them all their seats. Their switch to the Congress is considered as a setback for the local BJP, especially Sunil Jakhar, who currently serves as state unit president.
In May 2022, he too had defected from the Congress to join the BJP. Former Talwandi Sabo MLA Jeet Mohinder switched to the Congress from the SAD. He was expelled from the party two days ago for “anti-party activities” by the SAD disciplinary action committee.
Jeet Mohinder, who had previously been in the Congress, switched to the Akali Dal in 2014. South Malwa natives Josan and Rinwa had deserted the Congress in 2021 to join the Akali Dal. Just hours before they appeared at the Delhi Congress office to re-join the party, the SAD dismissed the pair from the party.