Former BJP MLC Baburao Chinchansur joins Congress

Baburao Chinchansur being greeted by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar. Credit: Twitter/@DKShivakumar

Former BJP MLC Baburao Chinchansur joined the Congress party on Wednesday.

KPCC President D K Shivakumar inducted him into the party at his Sadashivanagar residence. Chinchansur had recently quit the BJP and resigned to his Council membership.

Chinchansur, a former Congress leader, had joined BJP in 2018 after he lost the Assembly elections from the Gurmitkal constituency.

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A leader from the Koli community, his joining the BJP ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls could come as a shot in the arm for Congress in the Kalyana Karnataka region. Chinchansur is an influential leader believed to have campaigned against Mallikarjun Kharge during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Kharge lost the 2019 elections.

It's expected that Congress will give him the Gurmitkal ticket this time.

Speaking after his induction, Chinchansur said he would work hard for the Congress party's victory in the Kalyana Karnataka region. "The BJP wants to destroy Kharge's influence in the region. I will work to ensure that the Congress wins 25 tickets in the region," he said.