‘Sidelined’ former Congress MLA Rajhans Singh joins BJP

Mumbai: In a jolt to the Mumbai Congress, its former MLA Rajhans Singh, who was also the former Opposition leader in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) House, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday. Mr Singh was one of the strongest North Indian faces of the Mumbai Congress. But, after losing to a Sena candidate in the 2014 Assembly elections, he was purportedly cornered in the party. On Monday, he joined BJP in the presence of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Mr Singh has been assured of a BJP ticket from the Dindoshi Assembly constituency, where the Sena now has an MLA. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Ashok Chavan said his departure is “not a big deal”.  “Ideological commitment is important,” said Mr Chavan.

Mr Singh was Opposition leader in BMC for almost nine years. He was close to former Mumbai Congress chief Gurudas Kamat. After the delimitation of assembly segments in 2009, Mr Singh contested in Dindoshi Assembly constituency comprised of mixed voters, which included North Indians as well as Marathi-speaking citizens, and got elected.

However, in 2014 Assembly elections, Mr Singh lost to Shiv Sena's Sunil Prabhu in a multi-cornered fight. Since then, he was allegedly sidelined.

There was also buzz that Mr Singh was overlooked while Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam was distributed tickets for the BMC elections. Sources confirmed that since then, Mr Singh start establishing contact in BJP through Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar, his old friend from his BMC days.

Sources also confirmed that, as BJP is preparing to go solo for the next Assembly elections also, it is to pitch Mr Singh against Mr Prabhu in Dindoshi.

Mr Chavan said the party knows the reasons why some of its members are leaving. “The party has given us so much. It’s time to work for it. At the end, it’s an issue of ideological commitment. We get to see the real face of people (those who change parties) in such times,” said Mr Chavan.