Fifty-five Congress corporators of the Nanded Waghala civic body on Saturday, in a significant move, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Maharashtra's former chief minister Ashok Chavan, as reported by PTI.
Chavan, who recently switched allegiance from the Congress to the BJP, made his inaugural visit to Nanded since the transition and his uncontested election to the Rajya Sabha.
He wrote in a post on his X after corporators joined BJP, "Today, there was an extensive discussion with former elected municipal councilors and approved members of the Nanded-Waghala Municipal Corporation about their previous terms. A decision has been made to participate actively in the main stream of development by placing trust in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I warmly welcome and greet all the former municipal councilors who are joining the Bharatiya Janata Party."
The Congress currently holds 73 seats in the 81-member Nanded Waghala Municipal Corporation body.
Former Congress MLA Amar Rajurkar, who resigned alongside Chavan, expressed his anticipation that more corporators would align with the BJP in the coming days, PTI reported.
BJP's Graph Is Growing: Ashok Chavan
A few days back after ditching the Congress, Chavan made a statement that joining the upper house of Parliament would provide him a lot more opportunities to work at the central level.
"I am hopeful that things will work out well. By becoming a member of the Rajya Sabha, there is a much wider scope to work at the national level. More than that, I will be happy to associate myself with the party's strategy, planning, and working," he said, ANI reported.
"The election is around the corner in the country...They have to put responsibility on me, that is why they have given me Rajya Sabha so that I can take time out and move around in the country. So, I think it shouldn't be a problem," he also said.
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Regarding his choice to join the BJP, Chavan stated that the party offers better chances and that the saffron party's graph is growing daily.
"Be it the national scenario or the state, the BJP's graph is increasing day by day. Better opportunities lie there. There is no readiness in Congress. So, in such a situation, people think that they either sit at home and lose (elections) or look for another option to win. So, I think the winning alternative is BJP," he further added, ANI reported.