Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, 72, a former Aam Aadmi Party MP from Patiala, joined the Congress in the presence of senior party leaders in New Delhi on Monday.
His joining comes ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. A doctor by profession, he is likely to contest as a Congress candidate from Patiala.
He won the Lok Sabha election as an AAP candidate in 2014 by defeating Preneet Kaur from Patiala. He quit the AAP in 2016 and floated the Nawan Punjab Party, which he merged with the Congress on Monday.
Preneet Kaur has already been nominated the BJP’s candidate in Patiala after she resigned from the Congress and joined the party in March.
Congress leader Pawan Khera and AICC in-charge for Punjab Devendra Yadav, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and CLP leader Pratap Singh Bajwa welcomed Dr Gandhi into the party fold.
Bajwa said the Congress will be strengthened with his joining, while Warring said such professionals joining the the party is a good sign.
“This is a very crucial election for democracy in India. To save the country from heading towards absolute dictatorship, Congress is the only option left,” Dr Gandhi said before joining the party.
It is learnt that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was instrumental in his entry into the party. Dr Gandhi had joined the Congress leader’s nationwide Bharat Jodo Yatra during its Punjab leg last year.
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