Congress leader Jitin Prasada joined the BJP on Wednesday, in a boost to the saffron party as it works to strengthen its social coalition ahead of assembly elections in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh early next year.

Joining the BJP Prasada told reporters that “if there was any political party in the country today that worked in an institutional way... if there was truly any national party in the country, then it was the BJP”. Other parties were either about personalities or confined to some particular regions, he said, echoing the BJP’s criticism of its rivals like the Congress and several regional parties.