New Delhi: In a major blow to the opposition parties ahead of the Jharkhand Assembly polls scheduled later this year,  six MLAs of the opposition parties including Congress joined the saffron brigade on Wednesday.

After several rounds of prolonged talks spanning over months, all the six MLAs will were formally inducted into the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Chief Minister Raghubar Das.

Among the six, the Baharagora MLA Kunal Sarangi, Mandu MLA JP Bhai Patel and Bishunpur MLA Chamra Linda are from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

Bhawanathpur MLA Bhanu Pratap Shahi from Nav Jawan Sangharsh Morcha, and Lahardagga MLA Sukhdev Bhagat and Barhi MLA Manoj Yadav from Congress have also joined the BJP.

Former Congress state chief Sukhdev Bhagat and party leader Manoj Yadav will join the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday. Apart from them, another MLA of Congress Badal Patralekh is also likely to leave the party.

Bhagat who is currently miffed with Congress state unit head Rameshwar Oraon, holds him accountable for his defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Manoj Yadav had also contested the Lok Sabha elections from Chatra parliamentary seat and was defeated by BJP candidate.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s (JMM) suspended MLA Kunal Sarangi and suspended MLA JP Patel are also set to join the BJP.

AIFB’s Bhanu Pratap Shahi will also join the saffron party.