Congress MP Manish Tewari's office refutes rumours of him joining BJP as 'baseless, unfounded''

Rumours of Congress MP Manish Tewari joining BJP are "baseless" and "unfounded", his office said on Sunday. The clarification came after sources earlier stated that the Congress MP was in touch with the BJP and planning to contest from his Anandpur Sahib Lok Sabha seat on the saffron party's symbol.

"The speculation that he will join the BJP is baseless and unfounded. Manish Tewari is in his constituency and looking after development work there. Last night, he stayed at a Congress worker's home," the Congress MP's office said.

Sources have reported that Congress MP Tewari has been in contact with the BJP, expressing a desire to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Ludhiana parliamentary constituency under the BJP banner. This news emerges amidst speculation that former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, his son Nakul, and other MPs may defect to the BJP prior to the Lok Sabha polls.

However, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari has dismissed these rumours as 'baseless', stating that the idea of Kamal Nath joining the BJP is unimaginable. This follows Kamal Nath's removal as the head of the Congress's Madhya Pradesh unit, with Patwari succeeding him, after the party's poor performance in the state assembly elections last year.

In the recent assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the clear victor, securing 163 seats out of the 230 available. This contrasts with the Congress party's performance, which managed to win only 66 seats, a notable decrease from the 114 seats it won in the previous 2018 elections.

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