Bhopal: In a continued effort to strengthen its position in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, the Congress party has successfully attracted yet another disgruntled leader from the BJP. Influential OBC (Other Backward Classes) leader and former BJP MP Bodh Singh Bhagat officially switched allegiance to the Congress on Wednesday.
Bhagat’s political journey includes being elected in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as a BJP candidate from Balaghat. However, in 2019, ahead of the general election, he parted ways with the party due to growing differences with Gauri Shankar Bisen, who fielded his own candidate. Bhagat contested as an Independent but was unsuccessful, leading to his eventual return to the BJP.
What prompted Bhagat to leave the BJP once again was Bisen’s reinstatement as a minister on August 26, along with two other leaders. Bhagat’s departure is expected to be a setback for the BJP, given his strong grassroots connections. He has served as a panchayat and janpad member from the early 1980s until 2002, followed by an MLA from 2003 to 2008.
Explaining his decision, Bhagat cited ideological differences with Bisen and criticized the latter’s performance as the head of the Agriculture Department during his tenure as an MLA. Bhagat asserted that he raised concerns about corruption and issues related to fertilizer companies and did not approve of Bisen’s policies.
Bhagat’s induction into the Congress was marked by a ceremony attended by Congress state chief Kamal Nath and BJP leader Rajesh Patel. Patel, representing Budhi constituency, the stronghold of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, was accompanied by over 1,500 supporters. Dilip Singh, the state president of the Loktantrik Janata Dal, also joined the Congress along with them.