Kirti Azad, former BJP leader, joins Congress in presence of Rahul Gandhi

He announced his joining on Twitter. (Image: Twitter/@KirtiAzadMP)


Cricketer turned politician and former BJP leader Kirti Azad, who was suspended by the party in 2015, joined the Congress on Monday at a function in New Delhi. Congress President Rahul Gandhi was present on the occasion.

Azad, who is the son of former Chief Minister of Bihar, Bhagwat Jha Azad, is currently serving his third term in the Lok Sabha after he won from Darbhanga, Bihar in the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections.

He announced his joining on Twitter. He also said that he felicitated Gandhi in the traditional Mithila style.

“Today in front of Shri Rahul Gandhi I joined the Congress I felicitated him in traditional Mithila style,” he tweeted.

Azad was suspended from the Bharatiya Janata Party on December 23, 2015, after he openly targeted Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over alleged irregularities and corruption in Delhi’s cricket body Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).

Azad, who was the member of the 1983 World Cup winning team, was scheduled to officially join the Congress on Friday but the programme was cancelled in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack.

Azad had tweeted about his formally joining the Congress in the morning.

After he was suspended by the BJP, the Congress “invited” him to join the party. “He should join the Congress. His father was a Congressman. Congress blood runs through his veins,” Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad had said back in 2015.