Maharashtra: Big Blow to Congress as Padmakar Valvi Joins BJP in Presence of Ashok Chavan

Mumbai, March 13: In a big blow to the Congress in Mahrashtra, senior party leader Padmakar Valvi on Wednesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in the presence of state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule and party leader Ashok Chavan, in Mumbai.

Valvi's shift to the BJP took place at a time when Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra reached Maharashtra's Nandurbar on Tuesday. Valvi was a popular face of the Congress Party in Nandurbar, a tribal-dominated district. Valvi has been a three-time MLA from Nandurbar.

Senior Maharashtra Congress Leader Padmakar Valvi Joins BJP:

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Senior Maharashtra Congress leader Padmakar Valvi joins BJP, in the presence of state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule and party leader Ashok Chavan, in Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/1EffzonleZ

— ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2024

Valvi was a strong Congress leader from North Maharashtra and has been a minister in the previous Congress-NCP government.
The Maharashtra Congress has seen a string of exits in recent days, the last one being a few weeks back when Basavaraj Patil joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil.

Also Read | Uddhav Thackeray on CAA Rules: 'Intent on Creating Religious Discrimination and Provoking Riots'.

Many People Are Ready To Come to BJP, Says Ashok Chavan

#WATCH | Mumbai | BJP leader Ashok Chavan says, "The people who are in Congress can't see their future. Many people are ready to come to BJP. As elections near, many more people will join BJP...On CAA, it is natural that governments in Kerala and Karnataka will create hurdles..." pic.twitter.com/7HVzp9x0GG

— ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2024

On February 21, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis felicitated and congratulated the BJP's newly elected Rajya Sabha members, including Congress turncoat Ashok Chavan. Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in Mumbai on February 13.

True Workers of Congress Are Upset, Says Padmakar Valvi After Joining BJP

#WATCH | After joining the BJP, Padmakar Valvi says, "...The pace of work by the BJP, the planning made by the party from state to the centre reaches people. Its effect can be seen...We, the true workers of the Congress, were upset for years. I was upset for a year. I was hoping… https://t.co/LNIPGfFcIapic.twitter.com/gMxG6PPM3v

— ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2024

In neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, former MLA Arunoday Choubey and Shivdayal Bagri joined the BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav in the state capital Bhopal. Earlier, Manish Khanduri, son of former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and veteran BJP leader Retd Major General Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri, joined the BJP after resigning from Congress in the presence of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at the BJP Mahanagar office. Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Suresh Pachouri also joined the BJP in Bhopal.