JAMMU, November 19, 2025 : In a significant blow to Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), two former ministers—Jugal Kishore Sharma and Abdul Majid Wani—along with former MLCs Subash Gupta and Brij Mohan Sharma, rejoined the Congress on Thursday. Hundreds of their supporters also returned to the party, strengthening Congress’s cadre in Jammu ahead of upcoming political battles.
The leaders formally re-entered the Congress fold during an event held to commemorate the 108th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. They were welcomed by senior Congress leaders including AICC general secretary Syed Naseer Hussain, JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra, and AICC general secretary G. A. Mir.
Leaders Return After DPAP’s Poor Electoral Performance
Sharma, Wani, and others had quit Congress in 2022 to join Azad’s newly formed party. However, DPAP’s failure in both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections has triggered a steady exodus back to the Congress over the past two years.
Both Sharma and Wani had contested the last assembly elections from Vaishno Devi and Doda respectively but lost. Party insiders claimed that Azad did not actively campaign for his own candidates due to ill health, further weakening the party’s prospects.
Congress the ‘True Secular Platform’, Say Returning Leaders
Speaking at the event, Jugal Kishore Sharma said the Congress remains the only platform that upholds secular values and freedom of expression.
“Congress does not divide people on religious lines. Religion is personal, and Congress respects that,” he said.
He added that many people advised him differently once news of his return surfaced, but he chose the party he believed aligns with India’s secular ethos.
Sharma also paid tribute to Indira Gandhi, calling her a symbol of strength and leadership, and vowed to work at the grassroots to strengthen Congress once again.
With these re-entries, almost all senior leaders who once defected to DPAP have now come back, signaling a deepening crisis within Azad’s party.
