Bitter exit and unsuccessful Congress stint later, Deepak Joshi is back in Madhya Pradesh BJP – with Shivraj Chouhan’s blessings

Joshi had turned up astatine the Congress office with a representation of his precocious father, and alleged that the BJP authorities did not conception a memorial successful his honour. He had besides aired his discontent implicit being sidelined from the party, which astatine the clip had erstwhile CM Chouhan astatine the helm successful the state.

BJP sources said Joshi tried to rejoin the enactment respective months ago, but Chouhan “put the brakes connected the plan”. The BJP had besides travel up with an announcement that erstwhile leaders who contested against the enactment are not invited backmost into its fold.

Joshi, BJP leaders said, is nevertheless the archetypal person to instrumentality to the BJP – but lone aft Chouhan gave the greenish signal.

“During the assembly elections, Joshi had made a batch of idiosyncratic comments against Chouhan. For months, helium has been speaking to elder BJP leaders, including the authorities BJP president. But it took Chouhan’s motion for Joshi to beryllium capable to rejoin the enactment – a awesome that a Brahmin look and the lad of a seasoned BJP subordinate beryllium allowed to return. However, helium nary longer has the aforesaid heft successful authorities politics,” said a elder BJP leader.

BJP spokesperson Narendra Saluja said, “Out of the 335-member Madhya Pradesh Congress executive, 7 resignations person already taken place. Today, Deepak Joshi, a protagonist of Kamal Nath and a peculiar invitee successful the authorities enforcement of the Congress, besides bid farewell to the party. Now, 327 members remain, with implicit 250 reportedly unhappy. Kamal Nath’s supporters are continuing to leave.”

Sources successful the Congress excessively claimed Joshi “had been making efforts to determination backmost to the BJP”.

“In the caller organisational rejig, helium was fixed the station of a peculiar invitee arsenic well. But helium was unhappy with the caller Congress setup aft Kamal Nath near and Jitu Patwari took over,” said a Congress leader.

Congress spokesperson Mukesh Nayak refused to remark connected Joshi’s exit.

Joshi made his introduction into authorities erstwhile helium won the Assembly polls for the archetypal clip from Bagli successful Dewas territory successful 2003, and aboriginal successfully contested doubly from his family’s hometown Hatpipliya successful 2008 and 2013. He was inducted into Chouhan’s furniture pursuing a 3rd successive triumph and remained its subordinate till 2018.

He mislaid the Assembly predetermination successful 2018 from Hatpiplya to Congress campaigner Manoj Choudhary, who went connected to articulation the BJP successful 2020 and won again from Hatpiplya successful a consequent bypoll. In the 2023 elections, Joshi was fielded by the Congress from Khategaon, which is acold from his location base. This saw protests from the section Congress leaders, who waved achromatic flags successful his face. He subsequently mislaid the elections owing to deficiency of unity successful the Congress.