24 BSP leaders join Congress

NEW DELHI: In an apparent jolt to BSP which is planning to make a mark in the coming Delhi Assembly elections, 24 "disgruntled" local leaders, including its state unit president who was recently removed, on Wednesday quit their party and joined Congress.
    
Jogiram Bhati, who was recently removed from Delhi BSP president post, and 23 others joined the Congress in presence of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit at a function in her official residence here.
    
However, no other Congress leaders were present at the function except for State Urban Development Minister Raj Kumar Chouhan.
    
Neither DPCC chief Jai Prakash Aggarwal nor AICC general secretary in-charge Ashok Gehlot were present at the function.
    
Dikshit said it was a function organised in a hurry and Aggarwal and Gehlot were informed about it.
    
Those who quit BSP include Ashmwini Bhargava, the incharge of North-West Lok Sabha constituency and Mohd Arif, BSP Muslim front chief.
    
For Bhati, it was the return to his mother party, which he left five years ago after he was denied ticket in the 2003 Assembly elections.
    
Bhati, who was earlier given a ticket by Mayawati and later taken back, alleged that Mayawati was distributing party tickets for money.
    
Interestingly, when he was removed from the BSP president post he had said he would abide by Mayawati's decision and work for the party.