Former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Manish Patel, who garnered a good number of votes during the 2013 Assembly elections from Maihar, on Friday joined the Congress formally in the presence of Madhya Pradesh Congress president Arun Yadav.
While talking to media persons here on Friday, Yadav said, "Patel comes from a family that has been devoted to the Congress. Several of his kin have contested various elections on Congress ticket. We welcome him to the party fold."
On the occasion, Patel said he wanted to join the Congress earlier but did not get an opportunity. So, he joined the BSP and contested 2013 Assembly elections from Maihar. He had no major grudge with the BSP but left it owing to certain differences about six months ago.
He asserted that he joined the party without any greed for ticket in the coming by-election to Maihar and would support anyone fielded by the Congress.
Yadav said the party hoped to emerge victorious in Maihar by-election riding on the failure of the policies of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime. He claimed that elderly people and peasants are not receiving their old age pension and compensation amount.
He alleged that the State is confronting severe drought situation and grave financial crisis. However, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is embarking on a visit to Singapore for inviting investors at the next Global Investors Summit (GIS).
The State Congress chief said the public would like to know about the financial aspects involved in organising the GIS and the amount of investment that has taken place in the State.
Commenting on announcements made by the regime in Satna, he said the Chief Minister has the habit of making announcements before by-elections but are forgotten later.