MP Assembly elections 2018: Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s brother-in-law Sanjay Singh Masani joins Congress

Weeks before Assembly elections in the state, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s brother-in-law Sanjay Singh Masani joined the Opposition Congress on Saturday.

The decision of Masani is a setback for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the state, who claim to secure more than 180 seats in the upcoming elections. Sanjay — brother of Chouhan’s wife Sadhna Singh — joined the Congress in presence of state PCC chief Kamal Nath and campaign committee chief Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Sanjay said, “Madhya Pradesh needs Nath not Shivraj, who has been chief minister for 13 years.” Alleging that BJP is ignoring “kaamdars” (those who toil) at the cost of “naamdars” (big names), Sanjay stated that he should be projected only as his relative of Chouhan, not a family member.

Adding more, he said, as reported by the Indian Express, “My name is Sanjay Singh Masani. My family lineage and ‘gotra’ are different.”

The new turn in MP politics comes a day after BJP announced its first list of 177 candidates for the single-phased Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh on November 28. The BJP had chosen to field 24 ministers and dropped 34 MLAs including three ministers. The CM would himself contest from Budhini seat. However, the ruling party is yet to announce the names of candidates for remaining 53 seats.

ALSO READ: Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections: Damoh villagers boycott polls, ‘No Water, No Vote’