Considering the mood of nation, I decided to join BJP: Ashok Chavan

Ashok Chavan with Devendra Fadnavis and other BJP leaders on Tuesday. File Pic/Sameer Abedi

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said that he left the Congress after observing the mood of the nation, the ANI reported on Wednesday.

Ashok Chavan quit Congress on Tuesday and joined the BJP in the presence of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

"In politics, you need to understand the mood of the nation. Considering the mood of the people, I decided to join the BJP. I won't comment on Congress, whatever happens in Congress it will be their karma. I respect Sonia Gandhi. I have just left the party, and I am not so big to comment on her," Ashok Chavan said, as per the ANI.

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Further, expressing his gratitude towards the party leadership, Ashok Chavan said that by fielding him as the Rajya Sabha candidate from Maharashtra, the party showed that it has faith in him.

"Today the list of Rajya Sabha candidates of the BJP has been announced, and I am glad to know that my name has been announced as the candidate for the BJP in Maharashtra. I thank PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, party president JP Nadda, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, and other leaders. I feel that the opportunity they have given me shows the faith the BJP has in me," he said, according to the ANI.

"This is a big responsibility assigned to me, and I will try to fulfil it with full honesty," he added.

The BJP on Tuesday released its list of candidates from Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The party has fielded JP Nadda, Govindbhai Dholakia, Mayankbhai Nayak and Jashvantsinh Salamsinh Parmar from Gujarat.

Ashok Chavan, Medha Kulkarni, and Ajit Gopchhade will contest the polls from Maharashtra.

"I am confident that Marathwada is also with CM Eknath Shinde-led Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP. We will get a good vote share. I am happy my former colleague Milind Deora will also be there with us in parliament again," Ashok Chavan said, as per the news agency.

Meanwhile, a day after Ashok Chavan quit the Congress party and joined the BJP in Mumbai, the saffron party has named him as party's candidate for Rajya Sabha polls from Maharashtra. Reports said that the BJP leadership has also named the incumbent party president JP Nadda as the party's candidate for Rajya Sabha polls from Gujarat.

(with ANI inputs)