Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam
On Monday, Naresh Agrawal, a former member of Samajwadi Party, who had been a staunch critic of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Narendra Modi government in the past decided to shake hands with the enemy. Agrawal joined the BJP in presence of Union minister Piyush Goyal.
This trend of defection to the BJP among Opposition leaders is nothing new and has been pretty common post 2014, after Narendra Modi had a landslide win in the Lok Sabha polls. Since then, be it Opposition leaders of a regional party or ones with a national profile, during an election season, we see them join hands with the BJP.
Here’s a list of some prominent leaders that joined hands with the BJP in the last three years:
1. Himanta Biswa Sarma
Once an MLA from the Congress ticket for 15 years in Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma is now the face of the BJP in the Northeast. Sarma was a member of the Indian National Congress from 1996 to 2015 and when the party came to power in the state, he served as a minister in Tarun Gogoi’s Cabinet.
However, citing differences with the then Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Sarma quit the party and joined the BJP. After BJP in an alliance with Asom Gana Parishad won the Assam Assembly election in 2016, he was awarded the portfolios of education, health and finance.
2. Rita Bahuguna Joshi
Rita Bahuguna Joshi joined the Congress in 1992. She was mayor of Allahabad from 1995 to 2000. She was also the president of All India Mahila Congress (Congress’ women’s wing) and Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee.
However, on 20 October 2016, just months before Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, she defected to the BJP. The BJP had a massive win in 2017 Assembly polls and Rita Bahuguna was awarded the portfolio of women & family welfare in the Yogi Adityanath government.
3. N Biren Singh
Nongthombam Biren Singh is a footballer turned BSF veteran turned journalist turned politician. After joining the Indian National Congress, he was appointed minister of state of vigilance in Manipur government.
He resigned from the Manipur government in the first week of October 2016 citing differences with the then chief minister Ibobi Singh. He then joined the BJP on 17 October 2016. After the BJP was able to stitch together a post poll alliance in Manipur, they formed the government and former Congressman Biren Singh became the first BJP chief minister of Manipur.
4. Swami Prasad Maurya
Swami Prasad Maurya was one the most prominent faces of Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party in the late 1990s and 2000s. As a member of the BSP, Maurya was elected as an MLA four times.
However, on 22 June 2016, he alleged a ‘money for ticket’ syndicate in the BSP and quit from the party. He briefly formed his own party Loktantrik Bahujan Morcha but later joined the BJP. Currently, he is a Cabinet minister in the Yogi Adityanath government.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)