Former Punjab minister Anil Joshi joins Congress

Former Punjab minister Anil Joshi on Wednesday joined the Congress in the presence of party's state in-charge and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel here.

His joining came days after Joshi met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal in Delhi.

Addressing the media here, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said Joshi, who has a big name in Punjab, has decided to join the Congress. "I welcome him into the party," he said.

Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa, Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla and other party's senior leaders were present at the joining ceremony.

Joshi, a former BJP leader, was expelled from the party after he criticised the Centre for "mishandling" the farm agitation against the now-repealed farm laws in 2021. Thereafter, he joined the Shiromani Akali Dal.

Joshi was elected Amritsar North MLA in 2007 and in the 2012 Assembly polls on a BJP ticket.

He was made the local bodies, medical education and research minister during the SAD-BJP regime from 2012-2017.

He had unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Amritsar seat on a SAD ticket. He tendered his resignation from the Akali Dal in November last year.

In June this year, Joshi rejoined the SAD in the presence of party president Sukhbir Singh Badal in Ludhiana.