Jaipur: In a setback to the grand old party ahead of Lok Sabha elections, four-time Congress MLA and former Rajasthan minister Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday (February 19) in Jaipur. Malviya was welcomed to the BJP by the party's Rajasthan in-charge Arun Singh, state unit chief CP Joshi and other leaders.
Here's what Malviya said after joining BJP
Addressing a press conference, Malviya said, "I am saddened that Congress leaders were stopped from attending the consecration of the Ram Temple; I feel bad about it. I am associated with the old BJP, and I am very happy that the country's pride was enhanced when the Prime Minister visited Managad for the first time."
He further said that there is a "double-engine government" in Rajasthan, referring to the BJP administrations in the state and at the Centre. "Development is a big issue. There is a double-engine government here. The state and the country are transforming and the entire world is watching," he said.
About Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya
According to sources, Malviya was not happy with the Congress leadership.
Malviya currently serves as the representative for the Bagidora Assembly constituency in the Banswara district. As a tribal leader from southern Rajasthan, where the BJP holds a stronger position compared to the Congress, his inclusion could be significant ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state.
Malviya first won as an MLA in 2008, defeating the Janata Dal (United)'s Jeetmal Khant by a margin of 45,000 votes. Despite significant anti-incumbency in 2013, which saw the Congress reduced to just 21 seats, Malviya retained his seat by defeating the BJP's Khemraj Garasiya.
He emerged victorious against Garasiya once again in 2018. In the 2023 Assembly elections, Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya secured a win against BADVP's Jaikrishn Patel from the Bagidora Assembly constituency.
The BJP swept to power in Rajasthan in the assembly elections late last year. The saffron party had won 115 seats while the Congress, which governed the state between 2018 and 2023, managed victory from 70.
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