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When Political Dynasties Switch Sides: Indian MP Ditches Opposition Congress Party for Ruling BJP

New Delhi (Sputnik): Jyotiraditya Scindia, a top functionary of India’s opposition Congress Party, formally resigned from the party on 10 March. In his resignation letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Scindia wrote, “I believe it is best that I now look ahead at a new start.”
Sputnik

A day after quitting the Congress Party, Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday.

Scindia had announced his decision to formally quit the Congress Party on 10 March.

After joining the BJP, Scindia said that he left Congress as it was inefficient and had no vision for the future.

“I am a public servant and we made certain promises in our manifesto in the run up to the state elections in Madhya Pradesh in 2018. It has been more than one and a half year and those promises are not met yet,” said Scindia.

He added that Congress is not the same party as it used to be and said that it was living in denial.

“If you talk about employment, development, farmers issues nothing is happening in Congress ruled states. I have always mentioned that I always work for the welfare of the people and it is now time for me to move on,” Scindia said.

When Political Dynasties Switch Sides: Indian MP Ditches Opposition Congress Party for Ruling BJP

Scindia, who joined the ruling party at its headquarters, received his formal membership from BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda.

Nadda recalled that Scindia's grandmother Vijaya Raje Scindia was a co-founder of the BJP. 

“Entry of Jyotiraditya Scindia in BJP is like a family member coming back to the party,” Nadda said.

Scindia and 21 other lawmakers in Madhya Pradesh have recently quit the Congress party, weakening the Kamal Nath-led government. 

A scion of the erstwhile ruling family of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, Scindia’s father Madhavrao Scindia was with the Congress Party, and held several portfolios in the federal governments headed by the late Rajiv Gandhi and P.V. Narasimha Rao.

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