Blow to Congress in Maharashtra: Top BMC leader resigns, joins BJP

Just weeks before crucial Maharashtra assembly polls, Congress leader and former LoP of Mumbai Municipal Corporation Ravi Raja resigned from the party on Thursday. He submitted his resignation to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.

Raja joined the saffron party in the presence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. 

Fadnavis said that Raja is one of the strongest leaders and that his joining in BJP will strengthen the party. "Along with Ravi Raja, multiple Congress leaders are coming in our contact and they wish to join BJP. Soon, they will leave Congress and join the BJP. Don't ask me the names but Congress leaders will come with us in the coming days."

The Congress, which fared better than all parties in the state Lok Sabha polls, is facing rebel challenge in Maharashtra. Some Congress leaders have filed nominations as Independents. The party faces such dissidence in three key seats in Pune — Parvati, Kasba, and Shivajinagar. Congress leaders have also filed their nominations against Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena despite both being part of the MVA.

In Byculla, former Congress MLA Madhu Chavan has filed his nomination as Independent against Sena UBT's Manoj Jamsutkar. Former Congress corporator Raju Pednekar has filed his nomination from Versova against Uddhav Sena's Harun Khan. In Ramtek too, Congress leader Rajendra Mulak has filed his nomination as an Independent against Sena UBT's nominee Vishal Barbate.