In a massive jolt to the Congress, four-time MLA Kiran Choudhry and her daughter Shruti Choudhry joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi on Wednesday.

The move comes ahead of the Assembly elections which is scheduled to take place in October-November this year.

Kiran and Shruti Choudhry resigned from their primary membership of the Congress on Tuesday, alleging that the state unit of the party was being operated as a ‘personal fiefdom,’ in an apparent reference to former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Also Read:Million-strong victory margin to jailed ‘engineer’ as MP: 9 striking Lok Sabha election results

Kiran Choudhry, who is the daughter-in-law of former Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal and a sitting MLA from Tosham in Bhiwani district, and her daughter Shruti Choudhry, former working president of the Haryana Congress unit, joined the BJP in the presence of Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, party national general secretary Tarun Chugh, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, and other senior leaders at the party headquarters.

While addressing a joint press conference with BJP leaders, Kiran Choudhry said, “Now I am also painted in saffron colour. But this colour was also the colour of Choudhary Bansi Lal.”

“We merged the Haryana Vikas Party into the Congress 20 years ago. Today, I call upon you to take the flag of the BJP in your hands, leaving the Congress’s flag, and move forward till the last moment to ensure the BJP’s landslide victory in the Haryana assembly polls for a third consecutive term,” she said in her message to her supporters who had gathered in large numbers to witness the joining ceremony.

Also Read:How right to reject (NOTA) fared in 2024 Lok Sabha elections

“From today, our work begins. Take the name of Choudhary Bansi Lal and start working on the BJP’s policies, hail the BJP’s top leadership, and visit every nook and corner of Haryana. This will be our true tribute to Choudhary Bansi Lal and Choudhary Surendra Singh,” she added.

Kiran Choudhry said she joined the BJP because she was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s work. She pointed out that the people of the country have elected him for a third term in a row after seeing what he has achieved. “People have once again given him this responsibility to fulfill his resolve to make India a developed country by 2047,” she said.

Further, she assured BJP leaders that she and her daughter Shruti will work like ‘grassroots workers’ to strengthen the party in Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi.