Amid an emerging prospect of an upset for the Congress in the Raj Sabha polls in the State, Maharashtra’s former chief minister Ashok Chavan joined the ruling BJP on Tuesday, a day after he quit the grand old party that he had been associated with right from his younger days.

In a development that unfolded on expected lines, Chavan, son of former Union Minister and veteran Congress leader SB Chavan,  was accorded a warm welcome into the BJP by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and State party president Chandrashekar Bawankule, at a function held at the State party headquarters in south Mumbai.

Though it is more or less certain that the BJP would field Chavan as one of its candidates for the February 27 biennial RS polls, the ruling party did not make any formal announcement.

Chavan played down queries about his future role in the BJP. “I have not asked for anything. I will do whatever work is assigned to me,” he said.

However, Fadnavis threw adequate hints about rewarding Chavan whom he described “as a leader of national stature” and said that the latter would be given a “befitting role” in his party.

Amid speculation that many Congress NLAs and leaders might follow suit and switch sides to the BJP, Chavan joined the BJP along with close aide and former MLC Amarnath Rajurkar.

Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, president Jagat Prakash Nadda and the BJP team in the State for welcoming him into the BJP,  Chavan said,  “In the state, as per traditions of Maharashtra, we all have worked together for public cause.”

“I am joining the BJP today to work under the leadership of Modi ji and be part of the development of India and Maharashtra. I have always had development-outlook and worked with a positive approach,” Chavan said.

“I will strengthen the BJP and we all will work together to get more seats.... I have left the (Congress) party. Some supported me, some criticised me…I am not going to indulge in mudslinging. From today itself, I will work for BJP with the Prime Minister’s goal of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’,” Chavan said.

On his part, Fadnavis said: “Chavan ji had conveyed to me that he wanted to be in the mainstream and work under the leadership of Narendra Modi. In the coming days, many of the leaders and workers close to him would join us.” Fadnavis said that Chavan’s entry would give a major boost to the Maha Yuti (NDA) in Marathwada and Maharashtra.

Chavan said that the decision to quit the Congress was a “personal” one. “”It is true that the Congress has given me a lot…but at the same time, I too have contributed a lot to the Congress. As far as I am concerned, the Congress is a closed chapter,” he said.

In a related development, the State Congress is apprehending that the entry of Chavan, who holds influence over a dozen MLAs out of the total 44 MLAs in the State Assembly, into the BJP may have negative fallout on its prospects in the RS polls in which the party would have won one seat in the normal course.

Speculation has it that the Congress MLAs close to him may either quit the Congress and join the BJP or cross-vote against the party’s official candidate in the RS polls and in favour of the BJP which is planning to field one additional candidate in addition to the three seats that it is sure to win out of six seats for which the polls are being held.