Manvendra Singh, Son of BJP Patriarch Jaswant Singh, Joins Congress Ahead of Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2018

Jaipur, October 17: Manvendra Singh, son of BJP stalwart leader Jaswant Singh, and an ex-MLA himself, has joined the Congress party in the presence of Congress President Rahul Gandhi. The estranged BJP leader had earlier hinted that he would be joining the grand old party and reports had already said that he would be joining the Congress on Wednesday. Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2018: Congress Says Will Include Rs 3,500 Allowance to Youth from Needy Families in Manifesto.

Expressing confidence in his supporters, Manvendra Singh, who joined the Congress party today, said on the occasion that, "I met Rahul Gandhi in the morning today and he welcomed me into the Party. I have confidence that my supporters will continue to support me." Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2018 Full Schedule And Dates: Single-Phase Voting on December 7, Results on December 11.

The move is expected to boost Congress' prospects in the upcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan as Manvendra Singh and his family wields considerable influence in the Barmer- Jaisalmer region and the Rajput community. Manvendra Singh and his father Jaswant Singh, who is in coma as he sustained a serious head injury after falling in his bathroom in 2014, were miffed at the BJP and Vasundhara Raje for not giving a ticket to Jaswant Singh from Barmer, his place of birth. Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2018: Rahul Gandhi Denied Permission For Rally in Bharatpur on October 9.

Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot, while welcoming Manvendra Singh into the party on Wednesday, said that the leader's presence will strengthen the Congress party. The Congress leader said that there is a long list of leaders in the BJP waiting to join the Congress.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 17, 2018 02:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).