On Wednesday, three more leaders from saffron camp joined the league of turncoats. As ‘The Hitavada’ had published exclusively on September 10 with the headline ‘More switchovers impending in election year’, the Congress party has a reason to smile. Former MP Bodh Singh Bhagat, State Working Committee member and Indore BJP leader Pramod Tandon and Rajesh Patel, trio belonging from different parts of the State, have left the BJP and joined the Congress party. But, ‘The Hitavada’ has tried to find out how the decision of the trio to switch over to the Congress ahead of the elections will make a difference to the BJP’s electoral fortunes to their respective seats. This time the State is witnessing phenomenal growth in the number of turncoat leaders as compared to the last few elections. In a couple of months, more than a dozen prominent leaders have joined Congress.

 

Balaghat’s senior BJP leader and former MP Bodh Singh Bhagat joined Congress on Wednesday. He is being seen as a big BJP leader in the region. Bodh Singh comes from an OBC background and Balaghat is a OBC dominated area, in such a scenario his joining the main opposition party Congress is going to make substantial impact on the former one, as the political pundits suggest. Notably, from here, another leader Anubha Munjare (who also belongs to OBC) also joined the Congress ahead of the polls. In another regions too, the saffron party has to face jolt as BJP leader Rajesh Patel of Budhni and State Working Committee member and Indore BJP leader Pramod Tandon also took membership of Congress. BJP leader Rajesh Patel’s switchover holds significance as he comes from Budhni, the Assembly constituency of CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and it has boosted up Congress’ enthusiasm. While in Indore, State Working Committee member and Indore BJP leader Pramod Tandon’s goodbye to the saffron party is unlikely to make difference to the BJP in Indore, as election analyst and Senior Journalist, Pankaj (Bhaya) quotes while speaking to the Hitavada.

 

Within a week, Bodh Singh is the fifth BJP leader to join the Congress, former BJP MLA Parul Sahu Kesari joined the congress on Friday. She was seeking ticket Surkhi in 2018 but denied. She won the election in 2013. But that of Pramod Tandon is unlikely to affect the saffron party. Political analyst and senior journalist Pankaj talking to ‘The Hitavada’ said that earlier cases of defection will have much impact on Gwalior-Chambal region and upto some extent, it will impact Malwa-Nimar political scenario. But now Mahakoshal has entered in this race, here, the BJP may suffer adverse impact.