Dinesh William Marandi, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MLA from Littipara assembly constituency, joined the BJP on Friday after being denied a ticket by his party for the elections.
Marandi took BJP membership during a poll rally addressed by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Littipara.
Chouhan welcomed Marandi into the BJP fold, emphasising that together they would work towards advancing the progress of Jharkhand and focusing on the welfare of its people.
He also launched a scathing attack on the Hemant Soren-led government, accusing it of turning the state into a hub of corruption, poor governance, and scams.
"The people of Jharkhand are determined to overthrow the corrupt JMM-Congress-led government," Chouhan said.
Marandi, in his remarks, explained that his decision to leave the JMM was due to the denial of a ticket and alleged threats from the party leadership after he voiced his concerns.
"My father, Simon Marandi, was one of the founders of JMM, and I worked for years to strengthen the party. But now, I've been forced to leave for the sake of Jharkhand's progress," he said.
In the 2019 elections, Marandi had won the Littipara seat in Pakur district by a significant margin, defeating BJP's Daniel Kisku by 13,903 votes.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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