Leading up to the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party in Madhya Pradesh experienced yet another significant setback as veteran leader Suresh Pachouri, along with a cohort of other leaders, shifted allegiance to the BJP on Saturday.
Pachouri, who submitted his resignation to AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge on March 7, officially embraced the BJP in a ceremony attended by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and state BJP President V. D. Sharma.
Despite his decades-long association with the Congress, Pachouri had been sidelined in recent years, particularly during the tenure of former CM Kamal Nath, leaving him disillusioned and uncertain about his political trajectory.
Having served in key roles, including as state Congress President, over his four-decade-long tenure with the party, Pachouri commands influence in the Bhopal region.
Signs of his disenchantment became evident prior to the assembly election last November when one of his trusted aides was replaced as Bhopal district president. Since then, Pachouri's dissatisfaction with the party leadership has been brewing.
In addition to Pachouri, other notable Congress figures such as former MP Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi and ex-MLA Sanjay Shukla (Indore) also made the switch to the BJP.
Despite Shukla's electoral defeat against senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya in the assembly election, his close association with Vijayvargiya, whom he often refers to as a father figure, underscores his significance within the BJP ranks.
