New Delhi:

Brijendra Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Hisar in Haryana, today resigned as a leading member of the party and joined the Congress just weeks ahead of the general elections.

Mr Singh formally became a member of the Opposition at Congress president Mallikarjun Haq’s official residence in New Delhi.

“I quit the BJP and joined the Congress due to political and ideological differences. From farmers’ issues to Agnivir to the wrestlers’ protests – I disagreed on many things. I am happy to join the Congress Big party and big family,” he said after joining the party.

When Singh officially joined the Congress party, senior Congress leaders Ajay Maken, Mukul Wasnik and Deepak Babaria were present at Haq’s residence. Congress sources hinted that the bureaucrat-turned-politician is likely to be Hisar Party’s candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

“I have resigned as a principal member of the BJP due to compelling political reasons. I am grateful to the party, state president JP Nadda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for giving me the opportunity to serve as Hisa Member of Parliament,” Mr. Singh posted on X earlier today.

I resigned as a leading member of the Bharatiya Janata Party due to compelling political reasons.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the President of the Party and State Sh. JP Nadda and the Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi and Amit Shah gave me the opportunity to serve as Member of Parliament from Hisar.

— Brijendra Singh (@BrijendraSpeaks) March 10, 2024

Mr. Singh is the son of veteran BJP leader Chaudhary Birender Singh. According to sources, Mr. Singh is likely to join the Congress in the presence of his father, who resigned from the Congress in 2014 to join the Bharatiya Janata Party. The former Indian Administrator (IAS) is the great-grandson of the famous Jat leader Chhotu Ram.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the bureaucrat-turned-politician defeated Janata Party (JJP) leader Dushyant Chautala and the then Congress’s Bhavya Bishno Bhavya Bishnoi won the Lok Sabha seat.

The timing of Singh’s departure raises questions about dynamics within the BJP, especially as the party recently unveiled its first list of candidates for the upcoming general election. The BJP’s poll list has prominent names including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 34 Union ministers, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and other key leaders.

However, the party is yet to reveal its candidate for the Haryana seat, leaving room for speculation on Singh’s potential influence on the party’s electoral strategy in the state.