'I Remained With Cong Till Last Moment': Ex-Minister Pradeep Jaiswal Joins BJP Ahead Of MP Polls

Independent MLA Pradeep Jaiswal joined the BJP ahead of Madhya Pradesh assembly elections.

Independent MLA Pradeep Jaiswal joined the BJP ahead of Madhya Pradesh assembly elections.

Ahead of the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, which are slated to take place next month, Independent MLA Pradeep Jaiswal joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday. After joining the saffron party, Jaiswal said that he remained with the Congress till the last moment, but when the government collapsed, he thought that he should support the BJP government for the welfare of people. 

"Initially I supported Congress, but when the government collapsed in 1.5 years, then I gave support to the new government. The Congress could not handle the dispute (referring to Jyotiraditya Scindia's rebellion). I remained with them till the last moment, but when the government collapsed, then I thought that I (as an Independent MLA) should support the (BJP) government for the welfare of people," Pradeep Jaiswal said, as quoted by PTI. 

VIDEO | "Initially I supported Congress, but when the government collapsed in 1.5 years, then I gave support to the new government. The Congress could not handle the dispute (referring to Jyotiraditya Scindia's rebellion). I remained with them till the last moment, but when the… pic.twitter.com/dMZwk1rXht

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 16, 2023

He had served as a minister in the erstwhile Kamal Nath-led government. Jaiswal, a former Congressman, was elected as an Independent MLA from the Waraseoni constituency in Balaghat district in the 2018 elections. Jaiswal became a minister when the grand old party formed a coalition government under Nath with the support of MLAs of BSP, SP, and Independents. The government collapsed in March 2020, 15 months after coming to power.

Jaiswal joined the BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state unit BJP president VD Sharma, a party spokesman said. Waraseoni municipal council president Sarita Dangre and her predecessor Smita Jaiswal also joined the ruling party. Polling for all 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh is scheduled to be held in a single phase on November 17. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 3.