Former BJP MLA Habibur Rahman joins Congress

In a major setback to the ruling party ahead of assembly elections in Rajasthan, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Habibur Rahman on Wednesday joined the Congress party.

The former leader from the Bharatiya Janata Party was inducted into the Congress party in the party's Jaipur office by the local leaders of the state. On Monday, Rahman had sent his resignation to the state BJP chief Madan Lal Saini.

The sudden exit of Rahman from the BJP comes a day after the saffron party announced the first list of candidates for the ensuing assembly polls in Rajasthan. The party's decision to field Mohan Ram Chaudhary from Nagaur is said to be the immediate reason for Rahman's resignation from the BJP.

In its first list, the Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded 25 new faces and 85 sitting MLAs for the assembly polls. The names were announced by Union Minister and senior leader Jay Prakash Nadda. As per the list, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje will contest from Jhalrapatan assembly constituency from where she has been contesting since 2003.

Kailash Meghwal, the Speaker in the outgoing Rajasthan assembly, has been shifted from Bhilwara district's Shahpura constituency to Jhunjhun's Pilani constituency. The assembly polls in the state are slated to take place on December 7 in a single phase for all 200 seats, which are at stake in the state. The counting of votes will take place on December 11.

In last assembly polls, the BJP had won 163 of the 200 assembly seats in the state.