Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the BJP on Wednesday.
Highlights
- Jyotiraditya Scindia quit Congress on Tuesday, joined BJP on Wednesday
- He thanked PM Modi, Amit Shah, JP Nadda for "accepting" him into BJP
- He was named by BJP for a Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh
Jyotiraditya Scindia, who joined the BJP on Wednesday, called his joining the party a "turning point" in his life.
He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda for "accepting and welcoming" him into the party.
"It's not just a turning point in my life, but also an opportunity for me to continue my commitment towards public service under the inspirational leadership of PM Modi-ji," Mr Scindia wrote in a post-midnight tweet.
Mr Scindia, 49, quit the Congress on the day of Holi, ending his 18-year association with the Congress. Shortly after joining the BJP on Wednesday, he was named by the party for one of the two Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh due for elections later this month.
He had praised PM Modi on Wednesday afternoon after he was welcomed into the BJP by Mr Nadda.
"I consider myself lucky that I have got a platform to serve the nation. I thank the Prime Minister. No other government has ever won a mandate like PM Modi did, not once but twice, in this country's history. The PM's ability to work, using that mandate in a proactive way, and the way he has brought international repute to India, and the way he has implemented schemes, I believe the country is safe in his hands," said the former Congress leader, who had very recently attacked the BJP over the violence in Delhi.
Before announcing his resignation from the Congress on Twitter on Tuesday morning, he had met with PM Modi and Mr Shah.
His exit from the Congress along with 21 Madhya Pradesh MLAs endangers the Congress in a major state where it had come to power just 15 months ago.
Mr Scindia is expected to fly back to Madhya Pradesh today to lead efforts to topple the Congress government. The Congress has 120 MLAs in Madhya Pradesh, four more than the majority mark of 116 in the 230-member assembly. If the 21 resignations are accepted, the majority mark will fall to 104. This will make it easier for the BJP - with 107 MLAs - to stake claim to power.