Lok Sabha elections 2024 latest: Reports suggesting that Congress MP Manish Tewari is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are 'baseless' and 'unfounded', according to his office. The clarification came after sources claimed that Tewari is in talks with the BJP.
The sources also said that Tewari is planning to contest from the Ludhiana Lok Sabha seat on the BJP ticket and symbol. "The speculation that he will join the BJP is baseless and unfounded. Manish Tewari is in his constituency and looking after development work there. Last night, he stayed at a Congress worker's home," Tewari's office was quoted as saying by India Today.
The development comes hours after sources suggested that former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and Congress veteran Kamal Nath, along with his son and Chhindwara MP Nakul Nath as well as other MPs, is likely to join the BJP ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Commenting on the newsbreak, MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari said the rumours were "baseless". He added that he could not imagine "Indira Gandhi's third son" joining the saffron party even in his dreams.
Kamal Nath was ousted as the head of the grand old party's Madhya Pradesh state unit, with Jitu Patwari filling in his shoes. Nath was ousted from the post after the party's abysmal performance in the assembly polls held in December last year.
Out of the 230 assembly, the BJP secured a whopping 163 seats and the Congress was a distant second with only 66 seats in its kitty. This follows the setbacks the party has faced in Maharashtra, the second largest state in Lok Sabha elections according to seat share.
Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said that he confronted Prime Minister Narendra Modi about BJP's alleged 'poaching' of opposition leaders, asking him if it was being done by 'scaring' them.
"During a tea meeting in Parliament where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present, I asked him how many people are you (BJP) going to poach as ministers and ex-chief ministers are joining your fold. I asked him about the appetite (to take leaders from opposition ranks into the ruling party)," Kharge told workers.
According to Kharge, the Prime Minister said he could simply not help it if the people want to join the BJP fold. "He (PM) said what could he do if people want to join the BJP. I told him they (BJP) are carrying out this work (poaching) by scaring people. He said these people want to join because of their (government's) work."
This comes days after Ashok Chavan, former Maharashtra CM and Congress strongman in the Marathwada belt, quit the party. Chavan changed ship from the Congress to the BJP in a shocker development. In his first press conference after joining the BJP, he pledged that he will support Prime Minister Narendra Modi's agenda of development.
Chavan also assured the BJP that he will ensure that the saffron party emerges victorious in his belt, be it in Lok Sabha or in state elections. "It is the culture of Maharashtra that only targeting our political opponents is not the way of politics. We have always been together for the betterment of the state. We have a legacy of stalwart politicians who worked for the development of our state," he added.
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