In a major setback for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh, 30 of its members, including two former ministers and six former MLAs, joined the opposition Congress party on Friday.
The defection comes ahead of the assembly elections scheduled for early next year, and signals a possible shift in the political landscape of the state.
The BJP members who switched to the Congress were welcomed by the state party president Kamal Nath and other senior leaders at a function in Bhopal. Among them were former ministers Ramkrishna Kusmaria and Laxmikant Sharma, former MLAs Ramesh Saxena, Rajendra Singh, Sanjay Pathak, Raghunandan Sharma, Jitendra Gehlot and Ramlal Routel, and former MP Premchand Guddu.
The defectors cited various reasons for leaving the BJP and joining the Congress, such as dissatisfaction with the state government’s performance, lack of respect and recognition within the party, and ideological differences. They also expressed their confidence in the leadership of Kamal Nath and praised his vision for the development of Madhya Pradesh.
Kamal Nath welcomed the new entrants and said that they had joined the Congress without any conditions or expectations. He said that the Congress was a democratic party that respected its workers and gave them opportunities to serve the people. He also said that the Congress was ready to take on the BJP in the upcoming elections and expose its failures and corruption.
The BJP, on the other hand, downplayed the defection and said that it would not affect its prospects in the elections. The state BJP president V.D. Sharma said that the defectors were either expelled or suspended from the party for their anti-party activities and indiscipline. He said that they had no mass base or influence and were only looking for personal gains. He also said that the BJP was confident of retaining power in Madhya Pradesh with a thumping majority.
The defection of 30 BJP members to the Congress is seen as a significant development in the political scenario of Madhya Pradesh, which has been witnessing a fierce rivalry between the two parties for decades. The state has a total of 230 assembly seats, of which the BJP currently holds 126, while the Congress has 96. The remaining eight seats are held by other parties or independents.
The last assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh were held in 2018, when the Congress emerged as the single largest party with 114 seats, just two short of the majority mark. The BJP came second with 109 seats, while four seats went to others. The Congress formed a coalition government with the support of four independents, two BSP MLAs and one SP MLA. However, in March 2020, 22 Congress MLAs resigned from their seats and joined the BJP, following which Kamal Nath resigned as the chief minister and Shivraj Singh Chouhan took over.
The by-elections for 28 vacant seats were held in November 2020, in which the BJP won 19 seats and increased its tally to 126, while the Congress won nine seats and reduced its tally to 96. The by-elections also saw a bitter campaign between Kamal Nath and Chouhan, who traded accusations and insults against each other.
The next assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh are due in February or March 2024, according to the Election Commission of India. The defection of 30 BJP members to the Congress is likely to have an impact on the electoral outcome, as it may alter the balance of power and influence in various regions and communities of the state.
