Lok Sabha Election 2024: Syed Zafar, Congress leader and Kamal Nath’s close confidante, joins BJP

Congress leader Syed Zafar, seen as a key loyalist of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, on Monday resigned from the grand old party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was welcomed into the party fold by CM Mohan Yadav and state president VD Sharma.

Hailing from Chhindwara, Kamal Nath’s pocket borough, Zafar served as the general secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee. However, Congress denied that Zafar held any post in the party, reported The Indian Express.

Zafar joined the BJP along with several other leaders across parties and districts.

“After deliberating on this issue and holding discussions with top BJP leaders, I took this decision. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sabka saath sabka vikas is being applauded on an international level; I joined the BJP since I believe in that slogan,” he said.

The development comes amid reports of massive efforts escalated by the BJP ahead of Lok Sabha elections to allegedly wean away Congress leaders and cadre in the state. As per The Indian Express, the BJP has managed to induct over 5,000 Congress leaders, including MPs and MLAs to sarpanches, in the past one month.

As per the BJP’s claims, 1,500 Congress leaders have migrated to the BJP in Chhindwara region alone. The BJP’s efforts are aimed at dethroning Nath’s son, Nakul, the sitting MP from the conmstituency. Notably, this is the only seat that the Congress failed to win in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

“I have no complaints against Kamal Nath. He was like my father in the past and will continue to be so in the future… Most of the Congress leaders who are joining the BJP are doing so because of (Chhindwara BJP candidate) Vivek Bunty Sahu… All these years, the party (Congress) gave me posts which were below my potential,” Zafar said.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said, “Zafar and BSP officials have joined the party influenced by its ideology and the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I assure everyone that wherever workers join the party, development work will be carried out as per your guidance.”