Former Congress Leaders Join BJP in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal, March 15, 2024– In a significant political development, former Congress MLA from Mhow, Antar Singh Darbar, alongside his senior party colleague from Indore, Pankaj Sanghvi, and several other leaders from the grand old party, officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh on Friday. The transition of allegiance was formalized in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.

Among the notable figures making the switch, Pankaj Sanghvi had previously contested as the Congress candidate from Indore during the 2019 general elections. Expressing their reasons for joining the BJP, the new entrants cited admiration for the “magnificent works and developmental activities” spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the national level and Chief Minister Yadav in Madhya Pradesh.

This development follows a trend of defections from the Congress to the ruling BJP in the state. Notably, in the previous week, former Union minister Suresh Pachouri, ex-MP Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi, and several former MLAs, including Sanjay Shukla (Indore-1), Arjun Paliya (Pipariya), and Vishal Patel (Depalpur), made the switch to the BJP.

The BJP’s dominance in Madhya Pradesh was evident in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when the party secured victory in 28 out of the 29 seats. The sole Congress triumph came from senior leader Kamal Nath’s son, Nakul Nath, who emerged victorious in Chhindwara.

Over the past two months, a notable exodus of Congress leaders to the BJP has been witnessed in Madhya Pradesh, indicating a significant shift in the state’s political landscape.

The Election Commission is poised to announce the schedule for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on Saturday, adding further anticipation to the unfolding political dynamics in the state.