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Arvinder Singh Lovely returns to Cong fold

Former Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely on Saturday returned to the Congress fold months after he quit the party…

Arvinder Singh Lovely returns to Cong fold

Arvinder Singh Lovely, who rejoined Congress party leaving BJP, with DPCC President Ajay Maken and senior leader PC Chacko, at a press conference at AICC office in the Capital on Saturday. (Photo: SNS)

Former Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely on Saturday returned to the Congress fold months after he quit the party to join the BJP.

Lovely expressed happiness over his “homecoming”, saying he was “ideologically misfit” in the BJP. He had been a minister in the previous Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government in the national capital.

Along with Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken, Lovely met party chief Rahul Gandhi at his residence earlier in the day, who welcomed his return to his original party.

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The announcement of Lovely rejoining the Congress was made by All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Delhi unit P C Chacko and Maken at a press conference at the party headquarters here.

On the occasion, Lovely said had taken the decision to quit the Congress and switch to the BJP at a “weak moment” with a “lot of pain” and that he had never been comfortable about it.

“I was ideologically misfit in the BJP. I realised this from the next day I joined the party,” he said.

A Sheila loyalist, Lovely had quit the Congress following differences with Maken.

He had joined the BJP in the presence of party president Amit Shah ahead of the Delhi civic polls in April 2017.

Today, both Lovely and Maken said their “communications gaps” and “misunderstandings” have been resolved now. Maken said Lovely’s return would strengthen the Delhi Cogress and enthuse party workers.

A prominent young Sikh leader in the national capital, Lovely’s return comes in the wake of an apparently Rahul-driven efforts to unite the party and its various factions led by Maken and Sheila, even as bypolls in Delhi are due following the recent disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs in the office-of-profit case.

The Congress currently does not have any MLA in the 70-member Delhi Assembly.

Separately, veteran leader and three-term CM, Sheila Dikshit, also welcomed Lovely’s return to the Congress.

“I am glad. He has been a Congressman and worked as Delhi Congress president as well as a minister in party government for a long time. Naturally his coming back is good for the party,” she reportedly said.

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