AAP leaders join Congress in Gujarat

Mr. Sagathiya, on June 21, returned to the Congress and said that leaving the party and joining the AAP before the last Assembly polls was a ‘big mistake’ and on realising that, he had decided to return to his original party.

A day after being expelled by the Aam Aadmi Party as the vice-president of Gujarat, Vashram Sagathiya on June 21 joined the Congress with his supporters in the presence of Gujarat Congress chief Shaktisinh Gohil.

He was expelled by the AAP on June 20 for “anti party” activities. He had contested the last Assembly polls from AAP as an SC-reserved Rajkot rural seat candidate.

On Wednesday, he returned to the Congress with his supporters and said that leaving the Congress and joining the AAP before the last Assembly polls was a “big mistake” and on realising that, he had decided to return to his original party.

Mr. Sagathiya is a leading Dalit leader in Rajkot and also Municipal Councillor in the Rajkot Municipal Corporation.

“We welcome Vashrambhai and his supporters, who became disillusioned with the AAP in less than a year,” said Mr. Gohil, who hinted that many other leaders who had left the party to join the AAP, would return to the Congress in the days to come.

“I have realised that only the Congress can fight the BJP. I had joined the AAP hoping that they would fight the ruling party but that did not happen,” Mr. Sagathiya told mediapersons at the State Congress office.

In the last Assembly polls, the AAP won five Assembly seats but damaged the principal Opposition Congress the most by dividing the anti-BJP votes on at least 50 seats.