Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls 2023: In a splashy move, Madhya Pradesh Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) member Baijnath Singh Yadav, who had quit the then ruling party following turncoat Jyotiraditya Scindia, returned to Congress, a year after quitting, this time in a 400-car convoy.
Yadav was a Madhya Pradesh BJP executive committee member, quit the saffron party to return to Congress, just months ahead of the scheduled Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections. Notably, this state elections is also building up to a crucial battleground for the Congress vs BJP, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.
Yadav, who hails from Shivpuri, and his supporters, including 15 Janpad members, were welcomed by state unit Congress president Kamal Nath. According to a video shared by NDTV, Baijnath Singh took out a 400-car cavalcade from Shivpuri to the Congress office in Bhopal. The media outlet also cited people familair with the development, and reported that Yadav had sought a ticket under the BJP regime, upon failure of which he returned to the Grand Old Party.
“Yadav had left Congress along with Scindia (in March 2020) and joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). But he was feeling suffocated there and finally returned to his parent party,” former Union minister Arun Yadav told reporters.
Arun Yadav also claimed that several BJP workers and leaders are not happy with the party rule, especially because of rampant corruption, and they are in touch with Congress leaders including himself, Nath and Digvijaya Singh.
“They will join the Congress party at an appropriate time. Not only that but a majority of Congress leaders, who had joined BJP along with Scindia, would also return to their parent party. A day will come when only Scindia will remain in BJP,” Arun Yadav claimed.
Baijnath Singh Yadav and his supporters were offered Congress scarves by Nath in the presence of senior party leaders including Digvijaya Singh and others.
“Everyone knows what is happening in Madhya Pradesh under BJP. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his government are playing the politics of misleading people.
“As the Assembly polls are approaching, they have started remembering women, employees and anganwadi workers. The future of youth is insecure under BJP,” Nath alleged apparently referring to the state government’s outreach to various sections, including women and farmers, by announcing doles.
BJP President JP Nadda is scheduled to visit Madhya Pradesh ahead of the state assembly elections later this year.
The BJP has had an almost uninterrupted stint in power in State since 2003 except for when the Congress ruled for 15 months between the end of 2018 and early 2020 when the BJP toppled the Congress government with the help of Jyotiraditya Scindia in March.
Scindia resigned from the Congress and joined the BJP in March 2020 and his move toppled the Kamal Nath government just 15 months after its formation, paving the way for the BJP to form government.