Former Chhattisgarh AAP chief Komal Hupendi joins BJP

Komal Hupendi, a former chief of the Aam Aadmi Party's Chhattisgarh unit, joined the ruling BJP along with his supporters on Tuesday.

The tribal leader, who resigned as state AAP chief and quit the party in January, joined the BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai at an event in Kanker district.

His supporters also joined the saffron party in large numbers and vowed to ensure victory of Bhojraj Nag, the BJP candidate from Kanker Lok Sabha constituency, the BJP statement said.

In the 2023 assembly elections, Hupendi stood in the third position in Bhanupratappur in Kanker district, facing defeat in the constituency for the second time in a row. A large number of AAP's Chhattisgarh unit leaders joined the BJP in January this year.

Hupendi joined AAP in 2016 after quitting his government job as a co-operative extension officer.

In 2018, when AAP contested elections in the state for the first time, Hupendi was projected as its chief ministerial candidate.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party, however, failed to put up a good show in Chhattisgarh both in 2018 and 2023 assembly elections.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)