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Ex-MP Purohit joins Congress, to work for BJP's defeat

The Congress on Thursday received a shot in the arm when Bharatiya Janata Party member of the dissolved Lok Sabha Banwarilal Purohit rejoined the party. He was welcomed to the party by Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Ranjit Deshmukh and senior Congress leader and former Union minister N K P Salve at a news conference jointly addressed by them in Nagpur .

Purohit, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Nagpur constituency on the BJP ticket in 1996, was denied a ticket this time following fierce opposition from BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan and his supporters in Maharashtra. He subsequently resigned from the BJP.

After twice being a Congress member of the Lok Sabha, Purohit resigned from that party and joined the BJP in 1991.

Purohit , who owns the local English daily The Hitvada, said both Salve and Deshmukh wrote him a letter and personally met him requesting him to join the Congress. "I am grateful to them for facilitating my homecoming," he remarked .

He said he would work for the success of the Congress-Republican Party alliance in the state.

Both Salve and Deshmukh said they were confident that Purohit would vigorously campaign for party candidates and narrate to the public his bitter experience in the BJP.

Purohit, who had earlier indicated that he would contest as an Independent following denial of the BJP ticket, dropped the idea and expressed his resolve to work for the defeat of the Sena-BJP candidates. This has resulted in a straight contest for the Nagpur seat between BJP candidate Ramesh Mantri and Congress nominee and former Union minister Vilas Muttemwar .

UNI

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