Kailas Gorantyal, a three-time MLA, was joined by senior BJP leaders including former Union Minister Raosaheb Danve, OBC Welfare Minister Atul Save, and Rajya Sabha MP and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan
Kailas Gorantyal said he joined the BJP “without expectations”, driven by the party’s development-focused agenda and strong leadership at both state and national levels. Pic/X
Former Congress MLA from Maharashtra's Jalna, Kailas Gorantyal, formally joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, accompanied by a group of supporters, reported the PTI.
The induction took place at the BJP’s state headquarters, where state BJP leader Ravindra Chavan welcomed Gorantyal into the party fold.
Gorantyal, a three-time MLA, was joined by senior BJP leaders including former Union Minister Raosaheb Danve, OBC Welfare Minister Atul Save, and Rajya Sabha MP and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan.
Ravindra Chavan described Gorantyal as a “grassroots leader” and said the party was pleased to welcome him. “With belief in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, he has joined our mission for a ‘Developed India’ and ‘Developed Maharashtra’,” Chavan said, according to the PTI.
Gorantyal said he joined the BJP “without expectations”, driven by the party’s development-focused agenda and strong leadership at both state and national levels.
He added, “I will sincerely fulfil whatever responsibility the party assigns to me. I also assure you that the BJP will secure its first mayor in Jalna in the upcoming municipal elections,” as per the PTI.
He resigned from the Congress earlier this week, citing “personal reasons” in a letter addressed to Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal. His departure comes after months of reported discontent with the Congress leadership, particularly following his defeat in the November 2024 Assembly elections, where he lost the Jalna seat to Shiv Sena’s Arjun Khotkar, the news agency reported.
Post-defeat, Gorantyal had criticised the Congress for delaying the announcement of his candidature and not providing adequate campaign support.
Meanwhile, MLA Arjun Khotkar criticised Gorantyal’s move, calling it “political hypocrisy.”
Khotkar stated, “Gorantyal once called me a traitor for leaving Uddhav Thackeray’s camp. Today, he has betrayed his own party. What should he be called now?”, reported the PTI.
Khotkar alleged that Gorantyal has long supported the BJP’s ideology and hinted that his switch may have been influenced by fear of a potential investigation. He also dismissed Gorantyal’s claims about BJP’s performance in the upcoming Jalna City Municipal Corporation (JCMC) elections, asserting that the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is fully prepared to contest the polls independently if needed, the news agency reported.
Gorantyal’s defection follows a similar move by former Congress MLA Suresh Warpudkar from Parbhani, who also recently joined the BJP.
(with PTI inputs)
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