Chavan joins BJP day after quitting Cong

Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, who resigned from the primary membership of the Congress on Monday, joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, saying he was keen to contribute to the nation-building mission of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

- Surendra P Gangan

Chavan's exit is the latest in a series of blows to the party's state unit over the last month senior leader Milind Deora quit the party and joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddiqui joined the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Chavan, 65, joined the BJP in the presence of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis who praised his long political experience and anticipated contribution towards fortifying the ruling coalition and chief of the party's state unit Chandrashekhar Bawankule. Addressing the media after his induction, he said he was starting a new innings after 38 years in the Congress.

"It was not an easy decision for me to snap the 38-year-old association (with the Congress). It was a decision taken after a long deliberation," he told reporters.

"The culture of Maharashtra has been different, and we do not criticise our opponent for the sake of it. I would not indulge in criticism against anybody. Quitting the party was my individual decision. I worked for the Congress till the last minute I was in the party. I will continue to do so in the BJP too," he said.

The senior leader is learnt to have initially held conversations about being designated deputy chief minister in the current government but will instead contest the Rajya Sabha elections on February 27 as a BJP candidate, said a BJP leader, asking not to be named.

The son of Congress veteran and former home minister of India Shankarrao Chavan, Ashok Chavan said he was inspired by Modi's quest for development.