Former Punjab Minister Anil Joshi officially joined the Indian National Congress on Wednesday, marking a notable shift in the state’s political landscape. He was welcomed into the party by the Congress’s State in-charge and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhagel.
This significant development came just days after Joshi held key meetings with prominent Congress figures, including leader Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary (organization) K.C. Venugopal, in Delhi.
During a press conference in Chandigarh, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring lauded Joshi’s decision, highlighting his substantial influence in Punjab. ‘I heartily welcome him into our party,’ Warring stated.
The joining ceremony saw the presence of other senior party leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa and Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla. Joshi’s political journey has been dynamic; he was previously a BJP leader before being expelled in 2021 for his criticism of the Centre’s handling of the farm agitation against the then-proposed farm laws. Following his expulsion, he aligned himself with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
Joshi has a strong electoral history, having been elected as Amritsar North MLA in both 2007 and 2012 on a BJP ticket. During the SAD-BJP coalition government from 2012 to 2017, he served as the Minister for Local Bodies, Medical Education, and Research.
He unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as a SAD candidate from the Amritsar constituency. He later tendered his resignation from the Akali Dal in November of the previous year.
Interestingly, in June of the current year, Mr. Joshi had rejoined the SAD in the presence of party president Sukhbir Singh Badal in Ludhiana, making his latest switch to the Congress a noteworthy political maneuver.