In the run-up to the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, the state's ruling BJP is witnessing several jolts as disgruntled leaders continued to shift to the Congress.
More worryingly, cracks are surfacing within the old-time BJP families as the brother of Pradeep Lariya - the three-time BJP MLA from Naryawali-SC seat of Sagar district joined the Congress along with hundreds of his supporters.
Hemant Lariya was reportedly disappointed with the state BJP leadership after he was denied a ticket for municipal election from Makronia in Naryawali in June last year. On Sunday, he joined the Congress here in presence of state party chief Kamal Nath and senior leader Digvijaya Singh.
After joining the Congress, Lariya launched a scathing attack at the BJP, accusing it of indulging in rampant corruption.
"Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan talks about zero tolerance against corruption, but in my Naryawali assembly constituency, one road is built thrice in quick succession," he said while obliquely targeting his own MLA brother.
Notably, Naryawali-SC seat in Sagar district, which has been a BJP fort since 2003, has been won since the last three times by Pradip Lariya. This seat is considered among the 66 BJP stronghold assembly segments.
Lariya's switchover into the Congress is the fourth major crossover of members from strong saffron party supporting families ahead of the Assembly elections.
First, Rao Yadvendra Singh Yadav, the son of former BJP MLA Rao Deshraj Singh Yadav of Ashok Nagar district, had joined the Congress earlier on March 22. Following which, former BJP MP Makhansing Solanki (also the uncle of present BJP Rajya Sabha member Sumer Solanki) joined the Congress in April.
However, the biggest psychological jolt to the saffron party came on May 6, when former CM Kailash Joshi's son and former minister Deepak Joshi, quit the BJP and joined the Congress. Five months back in December 2022, first-time BJP MP from Guna seat Dr K.P. Singh Yadav's brother Ajay Pal Singh Yadav too had joined the Congress.
Fall of Congress in Gujarat: Three decades of decline and struggle for relevance
The Congress party was once the dominant political force in Gujarat, shaping the state’s governance since independence. However, over the past 30 years, the party has witnessed a dramatic downfall, losing ground to the BJP’s aggressive electoral strategies, organisational strength, and ideological appeal.
‘Disempowering Muslims’: J&K political parties oppose Waqf (Amendment) Bill
All political parties of J&K, except the BJP, opposed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, saying that the Bill is intended to disempower Muslims and only target one religion.
Radical group founder wanted in Jaipur serial blast plot apprehended in Ratlam
The Madhya Pradesh Police in Ratlam achieved a significant breakthrough in apprehending Firoz, also known as Sabji, a fugitive implicated in a conspiracy to execute serial blasts aimed at creating panic and terrorising the Rajasthan capital city of Jaipur.
Amit Shah & Akhilesh Yadav’s lighter exchange in LS over party president
Amid the uproar and heated debate between the ruling party and the Opposition over the Waqf Amendment Bill on Wednesday, the Lok Sabha witnessed some lighter moments between Home Minister Amit Shah and SP President Akhilesh Yadav.
Waqf Bill weakens Constitution, defames minorities, divides society: Gaurav Gogoi
As Parliament debated the contentious Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025, on Wednesday, deputy leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi came down heavily on the government.
Bill not linked to religion, it’s prospective and not retrospective: Kiren Rijiju flays naysayers
Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday tore into the Opposition for ‘spreading falsehood’ over the Waqf Amendment Bill and urged the ‘doubters and naysayers’ to refrain from misleading the people on the proposed reforms.
Parliament was being claimed as Waqf property: Rijiju slams UPA for making provisions 'overriding' other laws
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday bashed the previous UPA government for de-notifying 123 properties and handing them over to the Delhi Waqf Board.
Bhopal’s Muslims burst firecrackers in support of Waqf (Amendment) Bill
A large number of Muslims in Madhya Pradesh's capital, Bhopal, burst firecrackers on Wednesday to express their support for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which was presented in the Lok Sabha earlier in the day.