Former Congress leader and three-time MLA from Bagidora, Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday in the presence of state BJP president CP Joshi and other senior leaders. Malviya, who had a 40-year-long association with the Congress, said he left the party because it had no vision for the development of his region and the state.
“I have been associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) since my student days. Today, I feel like I have returned to my home,” Malviya said after joining the BJP at its office in Jaipur. He added that he joined the BJP for the development of Wagad region, which he claimed could only be done by the BJP. “Congress has no vision, no leadership, and no direction,” he said.
Malviya’s induction into the BJP came after days of speculation and meetings with top BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. Malviya, who was also a former MP, minister, and working committee member of the Congress, had been unhappy with the Congress leadership for a long time. He had also skipped the recent Rahul Gandhi rally at Mangadh Dham.
Malviya’s political career has been quite interesting. He started his journey as a sarpanch and rose to become an MLA, MP, minister, and working committee member of the Congress. He was also the in-charge of the tribal cell of the Congress. He had a close rivalry with former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who had once called him a “traitor”. Malviya had also rebelled against Gehlot in 1998 and 2008, but later reconciled with him.
Malviya’s switch to the BJP is seen as a major setback for the Congress, which is already facing a crisis in the state due to the rebellion of former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and his loyalists. The BJP, on the other hand, is hoping to gain from Malviya’s influence in the tribal-dominated Wagad region, which has 25 assembly seats. The BJP had won only four seats in this region in the 2018 assembly elections, while the Congress had won 19. The BJP is also eyeing the upcoming Lok Sabha by-elections in Dausa and Ajmer, where Malviya could play a crucial role.
