MP Assembly Polls: Jolt to Congress as MLA joins BJP

Bhopal: Sachin Birla, the Congress MLA from Barwaha constituency in Khargone district in Madhya Pradesh, on Sunday quit his party and joined BJP.

He was inducted in BJP in the presence of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state party president Vishnu Dutt Sharma.

The development has come as a morale booster for the ruling BJP in the wake of scores of party leaders and ex-MLAs, aspirants of party tickets for the ensuing assembly elections in the state, quitting the saffron outfit and joining Congress after the release of three candidates’ lists by BJP recently.

One sitting BJP MLA, Virendra Raghuvamsi from Kolaras constituency in Madhya Pradesh, had recently quit the party and joined Congress alleging marginalisation in the party.

BJP sources however said that Mr Raghuvamsi wanted to shift to Shivpuri assembly constituency in the year-end elections since he was not sure of retaining his Kolaras seat in the upcoming polls.

He quit BJP apprehending that he might not be accommodated in Shivpuri assembly seat by BJP in the ensuing elections, sources added.

Former BJP MLA Mamata Meena had recently quit the party after she was denied ticket from Chachoura assembly seat in Chhatarpur district in the state.

She has joined Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The BJP has declared candidates in 79 out of 230 assembly seats in three phases so far for the forthcoming assembly elections in the state.

Of them, 76 seats were lost by the party in the 2018 assembly elections.

The BJP has fielded seven party MPs including three Union ministers and a national general secretary of the party in this poll.