Former NC MLA, two other leaders join Congress

Jammu, Sep 23
Former National Conference (NC) MLA R S Sharma, prominent BSP leader Ashok Bhagat and BJP Mahila leader Anita Gupta joined the Congress on Saturday in the presence of senior party leaders. Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief G A Mir welcomed them into the party fold. AICC secretary in-charge of J&K Affairs Dr M Shakeel Ahmed Khan and other senior leaders were present on the occasion, a press release by the party said. Sharma was elected MLA from the Nowshera constituency twice. He was last elected on an NC ticket in 2008. He joined the Congress, along with his supporters, and expressed full faith in the policies and leadership of the party, the statement said. Apart from Sharma, BSP's Ashok Bhagat, who had contested the 2014 Assembly elections from Marh, and Anita Gupta, BJP Mahila Morcha leader of Jammu East, and her supporters joined the Congress party.