Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia’s loyalist and veteran Shivpuri leader, Baijnath Singh, resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), cut his ties with Scindia and returned to the Congress.
Singh had followed Scindia when he raised a banner of revolt against the Congress and switched to the BJP in March 2020, which toppled the then Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh.
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Displaying a grand spectacle, he took out a 700-car rally to traverse a distance of over 300 kms from Shivpuri to Bhopal to mark his return to the Congress at an event on Wednesday.
“I brought with me 700 cars to send a message. My family and Scindia’s family have always been close. I followed Scindia to the BJP, and got suffocated. This is liberating for me. I am glad to return to the Congress party,” Baijnath told The Indian Express.
The 73-year-old leader was welcomed by ex chief ministers, Kamal Nath and Digvijay Singh, in Bhopal. Along with Baijnath, 15 district-level BJP leaders also joined the Congress.
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In 2020, the 15-month Kamal Nath government was brought down by Scindia’s rebellion, who brought 22 of his loyalist MLAs (including six ministers) with him into the BJP fold.