Congress faced a double blow in Rajasthan when former ministers Lal Chand Kataria and Rajendra Yadav, along with 25 other members, left the party to join BJP. Kataria is expected to be nominated as BJP’s candidate for the Jaipur Rural constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The trickle of exits from Congress had already begun, with former minister Mahendrajeet Singh Malaviya joining BJP and securing a nomination for the Banswara Lok Sabha seat. Two members of the influential Jat family, Richpal Mirdha and Vijaypal, also joined BJP, along with Kataria and Yadav. Richpal Mirdha is related to BJP’s Nagaur candidate Jyoti Mirdha, who left Congress before the assembly polls. The 25 new BJP members include industrialist Riju Jhunjhunwala, former Congress MLA Khiladi Lal Bairwa, Ramnarayan Kisan, and Suresh Sharma, a former president of Congress’s Sewa Dal.

Kataria’s move to BJP was reportedly in progress since the assembly elections last year and involved several discussions. This is why he did not feature in Congress’s campaign. BJP was searching for a candidate to fill the gap left by two-time MP Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who became a cabinet minister in the new government. Yadav, who faced an ED raid last year regarding his alleged involvement in the Poshahar scam, lost the Kotputli assembly seat to BJP candidate Hansraj Patel by a small margin in the recent elections. Speculations about his move to BJP gained traction as the ED probe into his alleged dealings slowed down.

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