Overview
- Former ministers Jugal Kishore Sharma and Abdul Majid Wani, along with ex-MLCs Subhash Chander Gupta and Brij Mohan Sharma, rejoined Congress at an Indira Gandhi birth anniversary event in Jammu.
- The four had left Congress in 2022 for Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party and were welcomed back by Syed Naseer Hussain, Tariq Hameed Karra and G A Mir.
- Sharma and Wani lost their most recent assembly bids from Vaishno Devi and Doda, respectively, as coverage ties broader returns to DPAP’s weak 2024 Lok Sabha and assembly results.
- DPAP leader Salman Nizami labeled the returnees “deadwood,” claimed Azad told them to go anywhere, and said Azad plans a J&K visit to shape future strategy.
- Reporting notes Azad’s limited campaigning last year, citing ill health, as the returning leaders framed Congress as the secular alternative.