Padma Shri recipient and singer Usha Barle joined the BJP on Thursday ahead of the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh. Usha Barle joined the party in the presence of Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, senior party leader Saroj Pandey and Vijay Baghel, the BJP candidate against the Chief Minister.
During his recent visit to Chhattisgarh's Durg, Home Minister Amit Shah also met Ms Barle as part of the BJP's "Maha Jansampark Abhiyan".
"I have been thinking of joining the BJP for quite some time. Earlier, I was engaged in the election campaign of former Chief Minister Raman Singh, former Minister Brijmohan Agrawal and others," said Ms Barle.
The Padma Shri recipient expressed her desire to contest elections from any seat reserved for candidates from the Scheduled Caste and was confident of winning the election.
Asked why she chose the BJP, the folk artiste said that the Congress never reached out to her after she won the Padma Shri and therefore, she decided to join the BJP.
In March, this year, the singer was conferred the Padma Shri, India's third-highest civilian honour.
She was trained in Pandwani by the renowned Pandwani singer and Padma Vibhushan awardee, Teejanbai.
Ms Barle has performed Pandwani in several states and abroad, including in London and New York.
Chhattisgarh, along with Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Mizoram, is set to go to polls later this year.
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