Senior Congress leaders Suresh Pachouri and Sanjay Shukla have officially joined the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) on Saturday ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha elections. Notable BJP leaders, including Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Kailash Vijayvargiya, and V.D. Sharma, were also present at the party headquarters.
Former Union Minister and ex-president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress, Pachauri, has served in various key ministerial positions during his tenure in the Congress government. He has also been elected as a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament four times consecutively.
#WATCH | Several Congress leaders, including former Union Minister Suresh Pachouri, join the BJP in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
CM Mohan Yadav, former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, state BJP chief VD Sharma and minister Kailash Vijayvargiya present. pic.twitter.com/yNdfHnBK4V
— ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2024
In response to the recent departure of a prominent Congress figure ahead of the forthcoming general elections, anticipated to occur between April and May, former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, attributed the move to the perceived ‘lack of leadership’ within the venerable political party.
Addressing the media on Saturday, Chouhan, currently contesting for a Lok Sabha seat from Vidisha, remarked, “It appears that Rahul Gandhi is determined to dismantle the Congress entirely as Mahatma Gandhi’s suggested about the Congress. Dismayed by the party’s aimless and disoriented state, esteemed leaders within the Congress are growing disillusioned, pushing the party to the brink of extinction.”
Commenting on the BJP’s acquisition of yet another Congress member, the state president of the BJP, VD Sharma, stated, “Suresh Pachouri, a former Union Minister and Congress leader of significant stature in Madhya Pradesh, has found a new home in the BJP. With the Congress offering no space for leaders of his calibre, Pachouri has chosen to align with the BJP, committing to work under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
Adding his perspective to the unfolding political landscape, BJP stalwart Kailash Vijayvargiya asserted, “Despite Rahul Gandhi’s engagement in his Nyay Yatra, towering leaders continue to abandon the Congress. Members and supporters within the Congress have collectively recognized that if anyone can serve the nation equitably, it is Prime Minister Modi. Consequently, a growing number are defecting to join the BJP.”
Notably, this development follows previous speculations in February about the potential crossover of former Union Minister and Congress state chief Kamal Nath to the BJP. Despite swirling rumours, Kamal Nath ultimately decided to remain steadfast in his allegiance to the grand old party.