Suresh Pachouri, who is close to the Gandhi family, served as the Union Defense Minister.

Bhopal:

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, senior leaders including former Union minister Suresh Pachouri, former MP Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi and others including former MPs of the party Several others joined the BJP in Bhopal today, sending shock waves to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh.

In the morning, Mr Pachauri, Mr Raghuhedi and other leaders met Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, BJP president VD Sharma and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Joined the party at its state headquarters in the presence of

Old party leaders like former MPs Sanjay Shukla, Arjun Paliya and Vishal Patel have also joined the ruling party.

Mr. Pachauri, who has close ties with the Gandhi family, served as the Union Minister of State for Defense (Defence Production and Supplies) and was a four-time member of the Rajya Sabha from the elder party.

Mr. Pachauri had earlier held several key positions in the Congress, including that of the party’s Madhya Pradesh unit president. He is also the National Unit Chairman of the Youth Congress.

Mr. Rajukhedi is a well-known tribal leader who was elected to the Dhar (Scheduled Tribes) Lok Sabha in 1998, 1999 and 2009 and served three consecutive terms in the Lok Sabha. Before joining the Congress, he was elected as a BJP MP in 1990.

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