Sachin Birla Joins BJP In A Blow To Congress In Poll-Bound MP

Sachin Birla joined BJP on Sunday in presence of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ahead of assembly polls.

Sachin Birla joins BJP in presence of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Source : X/@BJP4MP

Congress MLA Sachin Birla on Sunday switched sides with the Bharatiya Janata Party in the poll-bound Madhya Pradesh and formally joined the ruling party. The 40-year-old first time MLA from Barwaha constituency in Khargone district took the membership of the saffron party  during a function at the party's state office in Bhopal in presence of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and MP party unit chief VD Sharma.

Birla had crossed over to the BJP in October 2021 but did not give up membership of the legislature. The Congress did not expel him either.

He had won the Barwaha seat during the 2018 assembly polls due to the support of Gurjar voters and other backward communities.

मुख्यमंत्री श्री @ChouhanShivraj, प्रदेश अध्यक्ष श्री @vdsharmabjp एवं प्रदेश संगठन महामंत्री श्री @HitanandSharma की उपस्थिति में खरगोन जिले की बड़वाह विधानसभा से कांग्रेस विधायक श्री @SachinBirlaBjp ने प्रदेश कार्यालय, भोपाल में भारतीय जनता पार्टी की सदस्यता ग्रहण की। pic.twitter.com/GoSLMiYHmk

— BJP Madhya Pradesh (@BJP4MP) October 8, 2023

On Saturday, the Congress held a meeting of its Central Election Committee to finalise the list of the candidates for Madhya Pradesh where the elections are due to take place this year along with Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, and Telangana. 

The Congress CEC meeting took place at former party president Sonia Gandhi's 10 Janpath Road residence in the national capital. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, and party leader Rahul Gandhi also attended the meeting.

After the Central Election Committee meeting of Congress to finalise candidates for Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections in Delhi, Former Madhya Pradesh CM and Congress State President Kamal Nath stated: "We have held discussions on several names. At present, no decision has been taken. The decision will be taken in the next 6-7 days. We have held a discussion on 130-140 seats...Another meeting will be called and the decision will be made."

As per ABP News sources, the polls are likely to be held in two phases for the five states and the Election Commission of India was planning to conduct the elections in all five states between Diwali in November and the second week of December. The counting of the votes could take place before December 15.