Mood In Country Favours BJP, Decided To Go With That, Says Ashok Chavan

Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan on Wednesday said he left the Congress to join the BJP for "better opportunities" and no other reason.

The mood in the country favoured the Bharatiya Janata Party and he decided to go with that, Mr Chavan, who was named as a BJP candidate for the Rajya Sabha election a day after he joined it, told reporters here.

"Past is past," he said when asked why he quit the Congress, the party with which his family had decades-long association.

"I thought there were better opportunities (in the BJP). What else can be the reason," the two-time chief minister said.

"It is necessary to know the people's pulse. I feel the country's mood is inclined towards the BJP. I decided to go with the mood of the nation," he added.

Mr Chavan, however, denied that he joined the BJP for a Rajya Sabha ticket.

"I have a safe constituency and got elected several times," he said.

Notably, he had lost the Lok Sabha election last time from his home turf of Nanded in central Maharashtra.

Speaking after joining the BJP on Tuesday, a day after he quit the Congress, Mr Chavan had sought to debunk the speculation that the allegations against him in the Adarsh Housing Society scam had anything to do with his decision. 

The high court had granted him relief though some agencies have contested that decision, and for him it was no longer an issue, the 65-year-old leader had said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)