Congress MLA and former Rajasthan Cabinet Minister Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya is reportedly considering joining the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), posing a significant setback to the Congress in the state as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections approach.
Sources suggest that Malviya is discontented with the Congress. His absence during the filing of nomination papers for Sonia Gandhi, a Congress candidate from Rajasthan for the Rajya Sabha elections on February 14, raised eyebrows.
Currently representing the Bagidora Assembly seat in the Banswara district, Malviya’s potential shift to the BJP holds importance, especially in southern Rajasthan, where the BJP traditionally has a stronger presence. The Bagidora Assembly seat is situated in the Mewar region, covering districts like Bhilwara, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, and Udaipur.
A tribal leader, Malviya has been an MLA since 2008, winning against Janata Dal (United)’s Jeetmal Khant. Despite facing anti-incumbency in 2013, he retained his seat and defeated the BJP’s Khemraj Garasiya in both 2013 and 2018. In 2020, Malviya was implicated in an FIR related to the attempt to overthrow the Ashok Gehlot government during the political crisis that year, though he has remained a prominent political figure.