Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader and former Maharashtra MLA Apoorv Hiray on Wednesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with hundreds of his supporters, saying he was impressed by the saffron outfit’s development-oriented vision.
Hiray formally entered the BJP at the party’s state headquarters in Mumbai in the presence of newly-elected Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan and senior minister Chandrakant Patil.
The induction of the former NCP (SP) MLA, who hails from Nashik in north Maharashtra, into the lead ruling coalition constituent had been widely speculated in recent days and it came ahead of the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra.
Speaking on the occasion, Hiray said he joined the BJP to contribute to the holistic development of rural and urban areas.
“I took this decision due to the insistence of rural and urban workers and the BJP’s development-oriented vision,” said the former legislator, who had served as state vice-president of the Sharad Pawar-led opposition party. Meanwhile, Sawkar Madnaik, a prominent farmer leader and long-time associate of former Lok Sabha MP Raju Shetti, also joined the BJP, which heads the Mahayuti government in the state.