Congress' Rajya Sabha MP Naran Rathwa joins BJP| All you need to know about him

Naran Rathwa is a veteran leader from Chhota Udepur in Gujarat.

Congress' Rajya Sabha MP and former Union minister Naran Rathwa joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with his son and a large number of supporters in Gujarat on Tuesday.

Congress' Rajya Sabha MP and former Union minister Naran Rathwa joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with his son and a large number of supporters in Gujarat on Tuesday.(X(formerly Twitter))

Gujarat BJP chief C R Paatil inducted Rathwa and others into the party by offering them saffron scarves and caps at the party's state headquarters 'Kamalam' in Gandhinagar.

Rathwa's induction is a major blow to the Congress ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He is a veteran leader from Chhota Udepur in Gujarat.

Brief profile of Naran Rathwa

• According to the official website of the Rajya Sabha, Rathwa holds B.A. and M.S.W. degrees. He has studied at S.N. College, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad and Gujarat Vidyapith, Ahmedabad (Gujarat).
• His tenure as Rajya Sabha MP will end in April this year.
• He is a five-time Lok Sabha MP, elected in 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998 and 2004.
• He served as Minister of State for Railways in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2004.
• He also served as a member of the Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, from May 2021-April 2022.

Almost a week earlier, BJP president J P Nadda and three other candidates of the party were elected to Rajya Sabha from Gujarat. Apart from Nadda, the three other candidates elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha were diamond baron Govindbhai Dholakia, BJP leaders Jasvantsinh Parmar and Mayank Nayak.