In yet another jolt to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, its Katni MlA Sanjay Pathak on Sunday decided to join the BJP ahead of lok Sabha polls.

“BJP's organisation general secretary Arvind Menon on Sunday visited my place at Katni and assured me that my honour will be protected and Katni will be given its due,” Pathak told The Pioneer over phone.”The senior BJP leader invited me to join the BJP and I will be formally joining the party tomorrow at Bhopal,” the Congress leader, who has interests in various businesses, especially mining, said.

He said that the Congress no longer remains the party of Nehru and Gandhi and the powerful leaders of the State did not even listen to party vice-president Rahul Gandhi.“Despite Rahul Gandhi's assurance, my grievances, specially the interest of party workers, were not addressed by the party and therefore, I decided to leave it,” he said.“When the honour of people like me whose family served the party for three generations were not protected by the Congress then you can imagine what will happen to a simple party worker” he said.

“The way Congress is functioning, specially its three-four leaders in the State, its fall is imminent,” he predicted.Before Pathak, Congress party's candidate from Bhind lok Sabha seat Bhagirath Prasad joined the BJP just a day after his nomination was announced. Even during the Assembly polls in 2013, the Congress sitting MP from Hoshangabad seat, Rao Uday Pratap Singh joined the BJP.

The BJP has fielded Prasad and Singh from Bhind and Hoshangabad seats respectively for the lok Sabha polls.When asked whether he would contest from Khajuraho as he was opposed to the Congress candidate from that constituency, Pathak said, “My only demand from Congress was not to overlook the interest of the party workers, but  when nothing happened even after meeting Rahul Gandhi, I decided to join BJP.”

“I have not asked for a party ticket from Khajuraho despite the fact that both State Congress president Arun Yadav and leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Satyadev Katare asked me whether I wanted to contest the lok Sabha polls...So no question arises from BJP also,” he said.