Several top leaders of the National Conference (NC) in the Jammu region joined the BJP on Sunday, in a major setback to former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah-led party.
The leaders who switched sides include senior leader and Kathua (Rural) district president of the National Conference, Sanjeev Khajuria, other district office bearers and several other members of the party.
The new entrants joined the BJP at the party's headquarters in Jammu in the presence of Ravinder Raina, the saffron party's Jammu and Kashmir unit chief.
Khajuria praised the ground-level impact of the Narendra Modi government's welfare schemes and hailed the Prime Minister's leadership of India's standing on the global stage.
The BJP state unit chief Raina praised the Narendra Modi government and also took a dig at the INDIA bloc. He stated that “ill-alliance has failed now due to ever-growing popularity of PM Modi".
In a separate event, former Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Kavinder Gupta urged workers to strengthen the party at the booth level to assure victory in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Senior leader Rekha Mahajan also welcomed the new members and urged them to work with dedication to strengthen the BJP's base at the booth level.