Former MP Ashok Tanwar officially returned to the Congress on Friday and urged all sections, particularly Dalits and backward classes, in Haryana to ensure a “big mandate” for the party in the assembly elections to send a message to the entire country.

Tanwar had informally joined the Congress at Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Mahendragarh district of Haryana on Thursday, dealing a setback to the BJP ahead of the assembly elections on October 5.

Hours before joining the Congress, the former Sirsa MP was campaigning for the BJP candidate in Safidon assembly constituency and exhorting voters to bring it back to power for a third time.

He was officially inducted into the party at the AICC headquarters by Congress treasurer Ajay Maken.

Addressing a press conference, Tanwar said, “I began my political career with the Congress. In the last few months I was in the BJP, the environment that I saw, I was hurt over a number of issues, the faith that should be there on Babasahab Ambedkar and the Constitution is not there (in the BJP). On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi is working on strengthening Babasahab Ambedkar’s Constitution and ensuring that people get their rights, and unity of the country is strengthened.”

Tanwar credited the Congress for his political career. “I request all the Dalits and backward classes of Haryana that in order to make the state No. 1 and to ensure people of Haryana get their rights…all sections, I request them to give a big mandate (to the Congress) to send a message to the country,” he said.

The Dalit leader on Thursday had described his decision to return to the Congress as the “will of God”.

“It’s all circumstances, destiny and will of the people. Let bygones be bygones,” Tanwar had told PTI on phone.

“I am joining the Congress exactly five years after I left it. That was the will of God then, today also it is the will of God… Sometimes, there is not much in your hands,” he added.

At the rally in Bhawaria on Thursday, Tanwar shook hands with Gandhi and greeted former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who welcomed him into the party fold and patted his back.

Congress leaders KC Venugopal, Bajrang Punia, Rao Dan Singh and political scientist Yogendra Yadav were also present on the stage.