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Updated: Oct 25, 2019 09:34 IST

In a blow to the opposition ahead of the Jharkhand assembly polls, five sitting legislators— two each from the Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and one independent—joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday.

Former Jharkhand Congress president and Lohardaga legislator Sukhdeo Bhagat, four-term Congress MLA Manoj Yadav, JMM’s Kunal Sarangi and JP Patel, and Bhawnathpur MLA Bhanu Pratap Shahi joined the BJP at a function in party’s state headquarters in Ranchi.

Chief minister Raghubar Das said leaders from other parties are joing the BJP inspired by the politics of development and nationalism.

“Going by the mandate people gave in 2014 and 2019, it’s clear they have rejected the politics of vote bank and nepotism. They have chosen the politics of development and nationalism ushered in by the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. These leaders have joined us with an aim to take Jharkhand forward on the path of progress,” said Das.

Apart from the MLAs, senior Congress leader and former police officer Arun Oraon, former top cop DK Pandey and retired IAS officer Suchitra Sinha also joined the BJP.