Ashok Chavan joins BJP, likely to file nomination for Rajya Sabha tomorrow

As Ashok Chavan joined the BJP on Tuesday, he said he was going to begin a new political career.

Updated on: Feb 13, 2024, 14:05:08 IST

By HT News Desk

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A day after resigning from the Congress, former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan on Tuesday joined the BJP. The official event took place in the Mumbai BJP office on Tuesday as Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis welcomed him to the party. Fadnavis said when he spoke to Chavan earlier, the former Congress leader told him that he did not want any big post because he had served in several big posts and he wanted to join Narendra Modi's work of development for the people, Fadnavis said.

“I have joined the BJP with the wish to contribute to the development work of the central government led by Narendra Modi. It's an unconditional move without asking for any post. It's a new innings for me after serving in politics for a long 38 years,” Ashok Chavan said.

Ashok Chavan's statement came amid speculations that he was getting a Rajya Sabha nomination from the BJP. It was also speculated that because of the deadline for nomination filing, Ashok Chavan had to join the BJP in a rush -- a day after he left the Congress.

Ashok Chavan's exit ahead of the Lok Sabha election is a big blow to the Congress as the party has already lost key and influential leaders like Milind Deora, Baba Siddique to rivals. Milind Deora joined the Eknath Shinde Shiv Sena and Baba Siddique joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

Commenting on Ashok Chavan's exit, Mumbai's influential Muslim leader Baba Siddique said it is a wake-up call for the Congress. Baba Siddique said Ashok Chavan called him as he resigned from the party. "Ashok Chavan called me and I told him that we are going to meet soon on the way ahead. More people are going to leave because when a person feels suffocated, he tries to find a way. It is a wake-up call for Congress but I don't think they are going to wake up," Baba Siddique said. The new NCP leader recently targetted the Congress where he spent decades and said the party used him like 'curry leaves' only for flavours.

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HT News Desk
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