Jaipur, May 18 (IANS): Former Union Minister Subhash Maharia, who is currently a member of the Congress, will re-join the BJP -- the party of which he was previously a part for a long time.

A source said that Maharia will make his "home coming" at the Rajasthan unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters here.

Rajasthan BJP president C.P. Joshi, Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore along with a large number of Maharia's supporters will also be present on the occasion.

"I had been a BJP worker. Feeling very happy to be back in my family again. I would be re-joining the party as a worker. I will try to handle properly whichever and whatever responsibility the party will give me," Maharia said.

Speculations also suggest that the BJP may name Maharia a candidate in the upcoming Assembly elections in Rajasthan. He might be pitted against Govind Singh Dotasara of Congress, from Laxmangarh assembly constituency.

Maharia was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1998, 1999 and 2004.

He was earlier defeated in the 1996 election by Hari Singh of Congress.

However, in the very next election, he defeated Hari Singh.

After the defeat in the 2009 elections, the BJP did not field him in the 2014 elections. Upset over that, in 2019, he contested against the BJP on a Congress ticket.

Maharia, who was a minister in the erstwhile Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, is a prominent Jat leader.

He has been the National Vice President of Kisan Morcha of the BJP.

He was also appointed a member of the BJP National Executive in 2010.