New Delhi: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Delhi minister Yoganand Shastri joined Congress on Saturday ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the presence of All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge Deepak Babaria. He joined the NCP in 2021 quitting Congress.
“There is no special reason. I did not go far, I was sitting nearby and the ideology of the party I went to (NCP) is similar to that of Congress,” Shastri said.
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He added that the country needs people who can save democracy and the Constitution and maybe tomorrow other parties will also come together.
“Everyone should work together and this is the spirit of the Congress and this is the spirit of the NCP,” the former NCP leader said.
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A former Delhi assembly speaker, Shastri is one of the senior leaders in the Delhi Congress. He had held various important posts during the one-and-a-half decade rule of then Delhi chief minister late Sheila Dikshit and twice represented the Malviya Nagar Assembly constituency and once Mehrauli Assembly constituency.
“I am grateful to Deepak Babaria who insisted I join the Congress. I believe we should all get together because politics is going through a transition period. If we don’t come under one umbrella at this time, then it will be unfortunate for the country.”
Babaria, while welcoming him to the party’s fold, said that Congress believes Shastri’s induction will be a big boost for the party. “He is adept at encouraging youngsters and has a value system and goodwill (in the field). He has been working in Delhi for several years and everyone recognises him”.
The NCP is in alliance with Congress under the INDIA bloc. The party has also formulated a seat-sharing agreement in Maharashtra along with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.
Voting for seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi will take place on May 25.
