Padmakar Valvi, a former Congress minister and well-known tribal leader, officially joined the BJP on Wednesday. The event was attended by State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule and party leader Ashok Chavan. Valvi's joining of BJP came a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally in Nadurbar, Valvi's home district. Valvi's absence from the Nandurbar rally had already sparked speculations about his intentions.
Valvi is former minister and MLA from Shahada
Padmakar Valvi previously served as a Congress Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing the Shahada constituency in Nandurbar.
After joining the saffron party, Valvi told reporters, "The pace of work by the BJP, and the planning made by the party from state to the centre reaches people. Its effect can be seen."
"We, the true workers of the Congress, were upset for years. I was upset for a year. I was hoping to receive an opportunity to campaign for the party in the Lok Sabha election. People are indeed upset in Congress. There is no coordination in the management of the Congress organisation," Valvi added.
"I will carry out whatever role is assigned to me by the party," Valvi said on his role in BJP.
Many people from Cong will join BJP before polls: Chavan
Ashok Chavan, speaking on Valvi's induction in BJP, said, "The people who are in Congress can't see their future. Many people are ready to come to the BJP. As elections near, many more people will join the BJP."
Valvi, a former sports minister in the state, is among the notable figures of the Congress in Nandurbar and North Maharashtra.
Valvi's joining of the BJP coincided with the timing of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay yatra, which is currently passing through the Nandurbar district and northern Maharashtra.
