Former Congress spokesperson Rohan Gupta joins BJP ahead of Lok Sabha Elections 2024

The series of defections from the Congress to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 continues unabated, with former Congress spokesperson Rohan Gupta switching allegiance to the BJP on Thursday.

Gupta, along with some other leaders, joined the BJP in the presence of Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and its national general secretary Vinod Tawde.

Recently, Gourav Vallabh, another former Congress spokesperson, had also joined the BJP.

Gupta, who served as the national spokesperson for the Congress party, decided to withdraw from the electoral race for the Ahmedabad East Lok Sabha seat on March 19 after his candidature was confirmed by the party on March 12. Gupta has alleged “constant humiliation" and “character assassination" by a Congress leader connected with the party's communication department and cited this as the reason for his exit from the party.

In a post on X, Rohan Gupta said he was troubled by senior Congress leaders associated with its Communication department. His father, who is battling a serious health condition, narrated the incidences of betrayal and sabotage within the Congress in the last 40 years, Gupta wrote in his resignation letter shared on X.

Gupta was among the 43 candidates announced by the Congress on March 12, which included seven candidates from Gujarat.

Polling will be held in Gujarat on May 7, in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections. The counting of votes is slated on June 4. The BJP had won all 26 seats in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

(With inputs from agencies)