NEW DELHI: Suspended Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Lok Sabha MP Danish Ali joined the Congress party in the national capital on Wednesday, ahead of the much anticipated Lok Sabha elections. Ali, who represents the Amroha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, recently met former Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence in the national capital and sought her ‘blessings’.

“Today was a time to take a decision. On one hand there are the divisive forces in the country and on the other there are people who are struggling to give justice to the poor, deprived, and downtrodden. The choice is very clear” Ali said in his news briefing after joining the Congress. Danish Ali is likely to contest from Amroha on a Congress ticket. He said the decision on him contesting would be taken by the Congress leadership. The Congress is fighting on 17 seats in Uttar Pradesh in alliance with the Samajwadi Party.

BSP president Mayawati had suspended Danish Ali a day after he spoke out in support of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra in the cash-for-query case last year, spelling out the ‘anti-party activity’ out as the reason for the action against him. “You were warned many times against statements or actions against the policies, ideology and discipline of the party. But, despite that you have continuously been acting against the party,” the BSP had said in a statement.

Notably, Rahul Gandhi had met Ali soon after BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri used communal slurs against him in Parliament in September last year during a discussion on the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Ali, while addressing the press conference then had said, “On one hand are the divisive forces of the country and the other hand are those who are struggling to give justice to the poor, deprived, and downtrodden. The choice is very clear. Today was the time to take the decision.”

Ali’s recent appearance at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra had fuelled speculations that he would be fielded by the Congress from the seat.