New Delhi/Dehradun, March 21 (IANS) Uttarakhand Congress leader Satpal Maharaj Friday joined the BJP after resigning from the Congress, where, his supporters said, he was feeling "suffocated".
Welcoming him to the Bharatiya Janta Party, its president Rajnath Singh said it will give the party a "big boost".
Satpal Maharaj, who represented Paudhi in the outgoing 15h Lok Sabha, resigned from the Congress earlier Friday.
His supporters told IANS that Satpal Maharaj was "feeling suffocated" in the party.
"I am very happy to join the BJP," Maharaj said.
Maharaj has a massive following in the hill state and elsewhere because of his religious sermons, and was first angry at being sidestepped and Harish Rawat being appointed the chief minister.
He decided to quit after his choice of candidates in the Garhwal region was ignored by the Congress high command.
Chief Minister Harish Rawat had met him recently to pacify him, but with little success.
His wife Amrita Rawat is a Congress legislator. The fate of the Congress government in the hill state is also likely to be affected by Satpal Maharaj's exit as 10 legislators are from his camp, sources said.
MS Dhoni Birthday: Captain Dhoni's six big decisions on the field, which changed the picture of Indian cricket
Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, one of the most successful captains in the world, turned 42 today. Mahi, who has retired from international cricket, is still playing IPL. This year he made
Captain Smith said - to stay in the playoffs it would take full strength; Tewatia said - middle-order has strengthened
Rajasthan Royals defeated Kings XI Punjab by 7 wickets in a match played on Friday in IPL-13. This is Rajasthan's second consecutive win. Earlier, Rajasthan had also defeated last year's winner and
Growth Rate: India to register 7 percent growth in 2022-23, claims EAC-PM amid fears of global recession
While economists around the world are expressing the possibility of a global recession, on the other hand, Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM), has made
Video of Dalit girl beating in Amethi goes viral, warning to Priyanka's government - otherwise, there will be a demonstration
A video of a Dalit girl being beaten up in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi district is becoming increasingly viral on the Internet media. Congress General Secretary and Uttar Pradesh in-charge Priyanka Gandhi
Firing in Iran's Shia Mosque, 15 dead: More than 40 people injured; ISIS terrorist organization claimed responsibility for the attack
On Wednesday, a shooting took place at a religious site in Shiraz, Iran. 15 people died in the attack. More than 40 people are said to be injured.
Sunanda was poisoned, murder case filed: police (Second Lead)
New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS) Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar, found dead in mysterious circumstances here in January last year, was poisoned to death, Delhi Police chief B.S.
Don't become arrogant: Kejriwal tells supporters
New Delhi, Feb 10 (IANS) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday cautioned party members against becomming "arrogant" as the party headed for a historic victory in the Delhi assembly
Farmer Protest: Not only in Delhi but also in these parts of the world, farmers came out on the roads with tractors, read what are their demands.
Indian farmers are once again on the streets with their demands. Farmers want to talk to the government about other demands including MSP. At the same time, the government says that this law cannot be
Kejriwal to tour Haryana from Friday
New Delhi, March 27 (IANS) AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal will embark on a three-day election tour of Haryana starting Friday, a party leader said.The Aam Aadmi Party chief will start from Jhajjar and
NEET Paper Leak: 1 crore fine and 10 years imprisonment... Instructions to issue SOP regarding 'Anti-Paper Leak Law'
The central government on Monday made public the rules under the recently notified anti-paper leak law. In this, the National Recruitment Agency (NRA) was directed to prepare norms, standards, and
