After 16 years, Sampat Singh set to rejoin INLD today

Days after quitting the Congress, veteran leader Sampat Singh is set for “ghar wapsi” in the INLD after over 16 years. A six-time MLA and former minister, he will join the party in the presence of party national president Abhay Chautala in Chandigarh tomorrow, ending speculation about his next political move.

Talking to 'The Tribune', Sampat Singh said the current political circumstances had forced him to quit the Congress and rejoin the INLD in public interest. A confidant of the late former Deputy PM, Devi Lal; and his late son and a former CM, Om Prakash Chautala, Sampat Singh remained with the INLD for nearly 32 years before quitting the party and joining the Congress in 2009.

He remained with the Congress for almost 10 years, leaving the party for the BJP in 2019. However, he rejoined the Congress ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, he was reportedly sore with the Congress for denying him ticket in the 2019 and 2024 Assembly polls.

Quitting the Congress recently, the veteran leader took potshots at Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda—without naming him—alleging that the Congress was like a “private limited company being run by one family”.

On September 25, he raised eyebrows in the political circles, especially the Congress, by attending INLD’s rally in Rohtak to mark the birth anniversary of Devi Lal. He also courted controversy when he took a dig at Hooda’s appointment as the CLP leader, asking, “If the party wanted to appoint the same person, what was the need to wait for one year?”