Arvinder Singh Lovely returns to Congress after less than a year in BJP

Delhi Congress is upbeat with the news that former Minister of Delhi and former Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee President Arvinder Singh Lovely is rejoining the Congress today. Arvinder Singh Lovely and Amit Malik left the Congress and joined BJP in April 2017, just before the MCD polls in Delhi. Arvinder Singh Lovely’s decision to leave Congress was a big jolt to Congress just on the eve of the elections.

Arvinder Singh Lovely, one of the promising young leaders of Delhi, was considered very close to current DPCC President Ajay Maken, but after Lovely was replaced by Maken as the DPCC President, the differences between the two developed. It is being said that Lovely became uncomfortable with Maken and as he was also not comfortable with former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, he took the decision to join BJP. But he obviously was even more uncomfortable in BJP, according to senior political leaders in Delhi.

Its also being said that if byelections take place due to disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs by the Chief Election Commissioner, Lovely may fight from his own Gandhi Nagar constituency. He was one of the best ministers in the Sheila Dikshit cabinet, but his differences with the Chief Minister were well known.

There are visible changes in the Delhi Congress as both Sheila Dikshit and Ajay Maken have shunned their differences and have come together. Recently on the completion of the three-year term of AAP government, both leaders addressed the media jointly. According to sources, all these changes indicates that Congress President Rahul Gandhi has sent a clear message to all leaders to remain united and shun their differences.

This story was updated at 12.35 pm on Saturday, February 17