Maharashtra: Former BJP MLA Gopaldas Agrawal says have quit party, will join Congress

Gopaldas Agrawal. File Pic/X

Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Gondia MLA Gopaldas Agrawal on Sunday said that he has quit the party and will join the Congress on September 13, reported the PTI.

Addressing a press conference, the former MLA from Gondia said that he was leaving the BJP with a heavy heart as its policies were not acceptable and party workers had not worked with full commitment for him.

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"I have tendered my resignation from the primary membership of the BJP in a letter to party president JP Nadda. I joined the BJP in 2019 to contest the assembly polls but faced defeat at the hands of Independent candidate Vinod Agrawal due to lack of cooperation from the party workers," said Agrawal, who won from the seat on a Congress ticket in 2004, 2009 and 2014, according to the PTI.

"I am forced to leave with a heavy heart. I have also spoken about my decision to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule. I will return to the Congress on September 13 in the presence of Maharashtra in charge Ramesh Chennithala," he told reporters, as per the PTI.

He claimed senior leaders like Ramesh Chennithala and others have said the Congress will contest from Gondia in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024 as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) but added he was not joining his old party for the sake of a ticket, the news agency reported on Sunday.

AIMIM will fight alone without MVA if it doesn't revert by Sep 9 on alliance, says Imtiaz Jaleel

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has extended a proposal to the MVA for an electoral alliance ahead of the state elections. However, if the opposition coalition does not respond by September 9, AIMIM will move forward independently, party legislator Imtiaz Jaleel announced on Saturday.

Jaleel stated that AIMIM is eager to contest a select number of seats where the Hyderabad-based party has significant influence, reported PTI. Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, he emphasised the party's intent to prevent the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition, which includes Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), from retaining power in the Maharashtra Assembly polls.

Although AIMIM and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) have ideological differences, Jaleel explained that AIMIM is willing to ally with MVA owing to "political compulsions" and in the best interests of farmers and the people of Maharashtra.

(with PTI inputs)