6-time Congress MLA Ramniwas Rawat quits party, joins BJP in Madhya Pradesh

Ramniwas Rawat's resignation comes just a day after Congress candidate from Indore Lok Sabha seat Akshay Bam withdrew his nomination and joined the BJP

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In a blow to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, six-time MLA Ramniwas Rawat quit the grand old party and joined the BJP in Sheopur on Tuesday.

Rawat, who represented Vijaypur in Parliament, joined the BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and other senior party leaders.

Rawat joined the BJP as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was addressing a gathering in Sheopur’s neighboring district, Bhind.

Before he left the Congress, Ramniwas' supporters shared social media posts about his switch to the BJP on social media. They also prepared banners, posters, and hoardings to show their support.

Rawat's resignation comes just a day after Congress candidate from Indore Lok Sabha seat Akshay Bam withdrew his nomination and joined the BJP. The Congress had fielded Bam against sitting BJP MP Shankar Lalwani from the Indore Lok Sabha seat, where polling will be held on May 13 in the fourth phase.

In a fresh twist to Akshay Bum's U-turn, Congress’ Madhya Pradesh chief Jitu Patwari claimed that Akshay Bam was “threatened and tortured” after which he withdrew his nomination.

Speaking at a rally on Monday, Patwari said, “Three days ago, IPC section 307 (attempt to murder) was added to an old case against Bam. He was threatened. He was tortured in different ways for the whole night. And today he has withdrawn his nomination.”

“What is the message in all this? Don't people from Indore have the right to use their vote? If you believe in democracy, please stand up against this dictatorship. This is not just about Congress and the BJP. Anyone who wants to vote, and keep reservations and the Constitution strong must stand up," he added.

The Opposition party lost a candidate in Gujarat's Surat last week following a series of dramatic events that included the disqualification of the Congress nominee and the withdrawal of eight candidates, including the BSP pick and independents, one after the other. On April 22, the BJP's Mukesh Dalal was declared unopposed winner for the Surat Lok Sabha constituency.