AAP gets a boost; Haryana political heavyweight Ashok Tanwar to join party
In a significant boost to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), a former Congress leader, who is a prominent figure in Haryana politics, is all set to join the party, while an ex-Karnataka ADGP was welcomed into the party fold with fanfare at the party headquarters.
Former Congress leader Ashok Tanwar is also set to join the AAP on Monday in the presence of AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, party sources said. Tanwar, had joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in November but is expected to switch to AAP, after TMC’s recent defeat in the Goa elections.
His move will come as a jolt to TMC, which is also trying to make inroads into Haryana.
A former MP from Sirsa in Haryana, Tanwar had quit the Congress in 2019. He had been president of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) and served as the president of Indian Youth Congress and party’s students wing NSUI as well.
A once-close aide to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Tanwar floated Apna Bharat Morcha in 2019 after he fell out with the grand old party over his rivalry with Haryana leaders. Despite switching sides, the former Lok Sabha member from Sirsa remains a prominent figure in Haryana politics. His entry in AAP will help the party to expand its base in Haryana ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls in 2024.
Several local leaders from the Congress, BJP and other parties recently flocked to the AAP, after the party’s landslide victory in Punjab.
Also read: AAP hopes to do a Punjab in Kejriwal’s home state Haryana, but it’s not easy
Meanwhile, in Karnataka too, AAP had good news. B Bhaskar Rao, a 1990-batch Karnataka cadre IPS officer and a native of Bengaluru, joined the AAP on Monday (April 4), after serving the police force for 32 years in various capacities. He was welcomed to the party fold by senior AAP leader and Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.
Rao, who was serving as the additional director general of police (railways), had resigned from the service in September last year, citing personal reasons. He demitted his office on Friday to join the AAP after the Karnataka government accepted his resignation and relieved him of his duties.
Rao’s entry into AAP is seen as a shot in the arm for the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, which is preparing for the Karnataka Assembly elections as well next year. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (Greater Bengaluru Municipal Corporation) polls will be held this year.
Senior AAP leaders felt that the former IPS officer’s popularity and clout would help the AAP better execute its expansion plan in the state, which is currently ruled by the BJP.
The AAP had contested the Karnataka Assembly polls for the first time in 2018, fielding 28 candidates in 124 Assembly seats, but did not manage to win one seat. However, the party, which is riding high on its stupendous victory in Punjab, is hoping to gain a foothold in the southern state this time.