Amid rumors suggesting the potential defection of prominent Congress leaders amidst the looming collapse of the Opposition alliance, reports have surfaced indicating that Manish Tewari, a Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP from Punjab’s Anandpur Sahib, may be considering joining the BJP.
However, no official confirmation or communication has been made regarding this matter.
According to a source close to Manish Tiwari, the speculation linking him to the BJP is baseless, as he is currently dedicated to serving the constituents of his constituency.
“He remains focused on serving the people of his constituency, and the rumors of him joining the BJP are unsubstantiated. They are completely baseless and do not warrant any response or clarification,” stated the Congress source.
Nevertheless, if the rumors materialize and Tewari indeed leaves the Congress to join the BJP, it would be a significant blow to the grand old party, especially considering the speculation surrounding another veteran leader, former Union minister Kamal Nath, who is also rumored to be contemplating a switch.
The sudden arrival of Kamal Nath and his MP son Nakul Nath at the Delhi airport, cutting short their ongoing tour of Chhindwara, Kamal Nath’s preferred Lok Sabha constituency, has fueled speculation of his potential move to the BJP.
Earlier, a post by former Congress leader and current BJP state spokesperson Narendra Saluja on social media ahead of Kamal Nath’s arrival in Delhi added fuel to the rumors.
Saluja posted an image of Kamal Nath with his son Nakul, captioning it with ‘Jai Shree Ram.’
Furthermore, various media reports have suggested that Nakul Nath, the MP from Chhindwara, removed the word ‘Congress’ from his social media bio. However, there has been no official confirmation of this action.
It has been claimed that he never had the word ‘Congress’ mentioned in his bio on social media platforms.
The speculation surrounding potential defections could deal a significant blow to the Congress, especially at a time when several veteran leaders and experienced politicians, including former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan, Milind Deora, and Baba Siddique, have exited the party over the past month, posing a significant setback ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.