6A Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg is the most coveted address for opposition leaders looking to enhance their stature. There has been a steady stream of political and social personalities joining the BJP before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The enthusiasm to switch sides has only grown.
Nine Rajya Sabha MPs from the opposition and scores of elected Trinamool representatives from West Bengal have joined the BJP since the new government took over. On Monday, it was the turn of wrestler Babita Phogat and her father Mahavir Phogat joining the saffron party. Mahavir and his daughters became household names after hit Hindi film Dangal was made on them. They belong to political dominating Jat community of Haryana. Union sports minister Kiren Rijiju welcomed the duo into the BJP at the party headquarters.
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As state assembly elections are due in three states—Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand—in the next three months, BJP is wooing key personalities to join the party. Four NCP and Congress MLAs had resigned in Maharashtra last month. Similarly, more are in line in Haryana ahead of the polls. The entry of these turncoats will continue till just ahead of the elections. BJP may accommodate a few with a promise of giving tickets.
Phogats joined the BJP where the party is running its first government. The steady entry of the leaders from the other parties have ensured that it is in poll position when it comes to election challenge. The Congress is in disarray, and so is parties like the Indian National Lokdal and the newly formed Jannayak Janta Party (JJP). Mahavir was a member of the JPP. The party has again formed an alliance with Mayawati-led BSP. JPP was formed after split within the INLD.
Sources said more leaders are likely to join the BJP till the elections to build favourable atmosphere in the poll-bound states.
