Jharkhand BJP MLA Jay Prakesh Patel joined the Congres party on Wednesday in the presence of party leader Pawan Khera at the party headquarters in Delhi. Jharkhand Congress President Rajesh Thakur and in-charge Ghulam Ahmed Mir inducted the Mandu MLA into the party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Patel said he thought he would be able to realise the dream of his father, Tek Lal Mahto, renowned for his role in the Jharkhand movement to take the state forward and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
"I don't want to blame anyone but it is a fact that I worked hard for not just BJP but the entire NDA in Jharkhand along with AAJSU during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls," he said.
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"I thought I'd be able to convert Tek Lal Babu's dream into reality of developing Jharkhand by being in NDA," Patel said, adding, "But I didn't find my father's dream in that alliance."
He also hailed Rahul Gandhi for his recently concluded Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra saying it has created an inclination towards the party in the state. "People of Jharkhand have decided to give all the 14 seats to I.N.D.I.A bloc," he added.
As per an ABP News report, Patel could be fielded by the grand old party from Hazaribagh Lok Sabha seat after the BJP gave a ticket to Manish Jaiswal from the same seat.
When asked about getting a ticket from Hazaribagh, Patel said he was not worried about the post but the fact that how can Jharkhand be saved. "Whether I get the MP ticket or not, I aim to strengthen the I.N.D.I.A bloc in Jharkhand," he added.
Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha's son Jayant Sinha was elected to the Parliament in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the Hazaribagh seat. This year he announced that he won't contest the polls.
Voting in Jharkhand will take place in four phases May 13, May 20, May 35, and June 1.