Lone Congress MLA Nirmala Sapre joins BJP in Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL: In a jolt to the opposition Congress, the lone MLA of the party from the Sagar constituency Nirmala Sapre quit and joined the BJP on Sunday.

Sapre represents the SC category in Bundelkhand and is a Congress MLA from the Bina Assembly.

Sapre joined the BJP in the presence of Madhya Pradesh CM Dr Mohan Yadav’s poll rally.

“PM Modi and CM Mohan Yadav have the agenda of development… I have joined the stream of development. The Congress does not have an agenda for the future. It has no hope for development in the future,” Sapre said.

“I was not able to sleep for the last two nights, as I was very disturbed by such statements about a woman. This compelled me to join the BJP which gives equal opportunity to everyone irrespective of their caste, religion or gender,” Sapre said after joining the party.

She was referring to state Congress president Jitu Patwari’s recent ‘Ras and Chaashni’ remarks about ex-minister and BJP leader Imarti Devi.

Sapre had previously contested the 2013 assembly polls as a Congress candidate from Bina-SC seat of Sagar district but lost. Ten years later, she defeated the same sitting BJP MLA Mahesh Rai from the Bina-SC seat by a margin of 6,000 votes.

The Sagar Lok Sabha constituency will vote along with eight other seats in the state during the third phase of LS polls on May 7.

The BJP has fielded Dr Lata Wankhede from the seat, while the Congress has named Guddu Raja Bundela (who hails from a powerful political family of adjoining UP) as the candidate.

Sapre is the third sitting MLA of the Congress to join the BJP since March during the ongoing Lok Sabha polls season.

On March 29, the third-time sitting Congress MLA from Amarwara-ST seat Kamlesh Shah had switched over to the BJP.

Later on April 30, sixth-time sitting MLA from Sheopur district’s Vijaypur seat and former minister Ramniwas Rawat too had bid adieu and joined the BJP.

With this, the Congress’s strength in the 230-member MP Vidhan Sabha has declined to 63 now, demanding by-elections to three seats in the next six months.