17 from Azad's party return to Congress

The Congress got a major morale booster ahead of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra's entry into Jammu and Kashmir when 17 leaders from the Union Territory who had crossed over to Ghulam Nabi Azad's Democratic Azad Party (DAP) returned to their parent party on Friday.

Those who returned to the Congress included former deputy chief minister Tara Chand and former Pradesh Congress Committee president Peerzada Mohd Sayeed. Among them, Chand and Balwant Singh had recently been sacked from the DAP.

There had been murmurs of Sayeed developing differences with Azad. While Azad made Tara Chand and Sayeed vice chairpersons of his nascent party their venture proved to be short-lived due to differences over organisational and political matters.


All India Congress Committee general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, AICC in-charge Rajni Patil and communication in-charge Jairam Ramesh welcomed those who returned to the Congress fold at an AICC event in Delhi on Friday.