Cong MLA joins BJP in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal: Amid a political upheaval in Rajasthan, the ruling BJP has given a major setback to Congress in Madhya Pradesh as party's MLA Pradhyuman Singh Lodhi joined the saffron party on Sunday.

Lodhi is MLA from Bundelkhand region's Bada Malhera constituency of Chhatarpur district.

In March this year, Congress suffered a big blow when former union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with 22 Congress MLAs, joined BJP after quitting the grand old party which had resulted into the fall of Kamal Nath-led government in the state.

Lodhi, who was in touch with BJP vice-president leader Uma Bharti, called on chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday and joined BJP in the presence of Chouhan and the state party president VD Sharma.

"Lodhi was with BJP before the 2018 Assembly polls, we welcome his return to party fold. He is an asset in Bundelkhand region," Madhya Pradesh minister, Bhupendra Singh told the Millennium Post. Singh is known as bigwig leader of Bundelkhand region.

"He has returned back to the party after attracting with the policy of the development of our CM Shivraj Singh ji. Now, Bada Malhera area will develop all round in the field of agricultural and irrigation," Bhupendra Singh said.

Pradhyuman, a former BJP's farmers' wing leader from Bundelkhand, had joined Congress and contested assembly elections in 2018 where he had defeated BJP minister Lalita Yadav.

Congress alleged that BJP was involved in horse trading since the beginning of 2018 elections. "BJP has murdered democracy in MP and now trying to influence democratic values through money power," said former Congress minister Brijendra Singh Rathore.