Jharkhand: Congress, JMM legislators, ex-bureaucrats join BJP in Ranchi

In yet another blow to the opposition, some Congress and the Jharkhand Mukti Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislators joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in Ranchi on Wednesday in presence of the Jharkhand's Chief Minister Raghubar Das.

 6 MLAs from opposition parties, Kunal Sarangi (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), JP Bhai Patel (JMM), Chamra Linda (JMM), Sukhdev Bhagat (Congress), Manoj Yadav (Congress) & Bhanu Pratap Shahi (Nav Jawan Sangharsh Morcha), joined the saffron party. Many retired bureaucrats like former DGP DK Pandey, former IPS, and Congress leader Arun Oraon, and former IAS Suchitra officers Sinha and RP Shahi also joined BJP.

The legislators joined the party in the presence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, BJP state President Lakshman Giluwa and party's election in-charge Nand Kishore Yadav. 

"The 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls negated caste, religion, dynasty politics in favour of the politics of development. These legislators are joining the BJP for development, nationalism and a stable government," IANS quoted Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das said.

This incident comes as a major blow to the opposition as the state is gearing up for the assembly elections soon.

The BJP has already started preparing for the upcoming Assembly elections with Chief Minister Raghubar Das launching the Jan Aashirbad Yatra to woo voters.

On Tuesday, Karnataka Congress leader and former Rajya Sabha MP, KC Ramamurthy joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)  at the party headquarters in New Delhi.

Ramamurthy had resigned from the Rajya Sabha last week.