Bhopal:

In another setback for the Congress party in the Lok Sabha elections, several MPs, including a former MP, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday.

Former Congress MP Hari Vallabh Shukla along with his supporters and other Congress leaders at the BJP office in Bhopal in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav , joined the saffron party.

Newly joined committee convener, former state minister Narotam Mishra, state minister Govind Rajput, and BJP leader Suresh Pachauri, who just left the Congress party, also attended the event.

CM Mohan Yadav in his speech said: “We accept all of you (Congress leaders and workers) with an open mind to join our family (BJP); as I have said, to some extent, Sugar is ground in milk and similarly you all are welcome to give your suggestions on any issue. The poll trend in the state is very friendly and the BJP government is about to be formed.”

Former MP Shukla said he joined the party after being impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies and pushing Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia’s development policies.

“Impressed with Prime Minister Modi’s policies and to further the development agenda of Jyotiraditya Scindia, I joined the BJP. People were disappointed with the Congress. The Congress became the party of common people and dominated the issues for 70 years today was cut off and now it has turned into a party where leaders discuss things behind closed doors,” Shukla told ANI.

“On the other hand, Prime Minister Modi has made the BJP a party of common people, be it women, farmers, youth or businessmen. I have also seen that before, you could not find any BJP workers in the villages, today the situation has changed Reversed. “Congress staff can’t be found because the party is cut off from ordinary people,” he added.

When asked about changing his stance in the Lok Sabha elections, he said: “I believe if someone can develop Gwalior and Shivpuri areas, Union Minister Scindia can do it too, so we have to approach the developers ”

He added that he would not seek any appointment within the party and would only work for future generations.

“We have played every innings and now have come to the party to work for the new generation,” Shukla said.

The Lok Sabha polls in the state will be held in four phases, with the next three phases scheduled to take place on April 26, May 7 and May 13. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4.

Madhya Pradesh has a total of 29 Lok Sabha constituencies and is the sixth largest state in terms of the number of MPs sent to the Lok Sabha. Of these, 10 seats are reserved for SC and ST candidates, while the remaining 19 seats are unreserved.

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