Ahead of Rajasthan polls, Nathuram Mirdha's kin Jyoti Mirdha joins BJP

NEW DELHI/JAIPUR: Ahead of assembly polls in Rajasthan, two Congress leaders from the state, including former Nagaur MP Jyoti Mirdha, granddaughter of prominent leader Nathuram Mirdha, on Monday joined BJP, giving it a shot in the arm in the Jat-dominated region.

Sawai Singh Chaudhary, a former IPS officer, who contested the 2018 assembly polls from Khinwsar on a Congress ticket, also switched over to BJP in the presence of party's general secretary and Rajasthan in-charge Arun Singh, state president CP Joshi, chief spokesperson Anil Baluni and party MP Bhagirath Choudhary.

Nathuram Mirdha served Congress for 50 years, including six times as MP. He had won from Nagaur even during the Janata Party wave in 1977. Jyoti was Congress MP from 2009 to 2014 and lost in 2019 to Rashtriya Loktantrik Party candidate Hanuman Beniwal, who was an alliance partner of NDA.

After joining BJP, Mirdha said, "I wanted to play an actively role in nation building but saw no opportunity in Congress. The party has deviated from the path of progress and nation-building. It has been ignoring committed leaders and workers. Like me, many have left Congress as they were feeling suffocated."