Hindutva outfit Bajrang Sena on Tuesday merged with Congress in Madhya Pradesh months ahead of the Assembly polls alleging the BJP had come to power in the state by cheating the people’s mandate and has deviated from the path.

Bajrang Sena (BS) leaders are close to former minister Deepak Joshi, who had quit BJP to join Congress.

The merger happened in the presence of MP Congress president Kamal Nath. The merger announcement was made by BS national president Rajnish Pateria and coordinator Raghunandan Sharma. Joshi was also present on the occasion.

BS members presented a mace and memorabilia to Nath and raised slogans of Jai Shriram.

Welcoming the development, Nath alleged chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is making hollow announcements as elections are approaching.

“Chouhan has made more than 20,000 announcements so far which are never implemented. As the assembly polls are nearing, Chouhan is now remembering women, youths and employees. He had done nothing for them in the last 18 years while in power,” Nath claimed.

He said the people have decided to end the rule of BJP this time “which came to power by horse trading”, apparently referring to the toppling of the Nath-led government in March 2020.

Pateria said a large number of workers who have joined Congress will ensure the defeat of the BJP, “which had come to power by cheating the people’s mandate”.

Bajrang Sena was founded in Chhatarpur in 2013. It used to agitate on religious and social issues.

In the 2018 Assembly polls, the Congress won 114 of 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh. The BJP finished second by winning 109 seats. The Congress formed a coalition government with the support of Independents BSP, and SP.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)