Days after Ashok Chavan departed from the Congress earlier this month, fifty-five former Corporators of Nanded-Waghala Municipal Corporation followed suit and joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday under Chavan’s leadership.
Chavan, a former Congress chief minister, after joining the BJP, was given a Rajya Sabha ticket and was elected unopposed. He had also faced criticism that his supporters had remained in Congress while Chavan was isolated. The Nanded-Waghala civic body has been dissolved, but most former corporators are supporters of Ashok Chavan. They called on Chavan after he reached Nanded on Friday and decided to join the BJP.
A press release issued by Ashok Chavan’s office said that they had accepted the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president J P Nadda, deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and Ashok Chavan.Chavan said they expressed their wish to join the BJP, and hence, they have come to us.The state Congress chief spokesperson Atul Londhe said, “There are 84 former corporators of Congress, and only 55 went with Ashok Chavan. Nearly 30 former corporators are still with us. This means that he is not the sole leader of Congress in Nanded. There are others too.’’