The Lok Sabha elections, also known as the General Elections, are the largest democratic exercises in India, determining the composition of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament. These elections are held every five years.
During Lok Sabha elections, eligible citizens vote to elect representatives, known as Members of Parliament (MPs), from various constituencies across India. The party or coalition that secures a majority of seats forms the government, with its leader typically becoming the Prime Minister.
It is not new when political leaders change parties ahead of the elections. Even ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, some popular faces of Congress have quit the Congress to join another party.
Vijender Singh
On Wednesday, Vijender Singh, India’s inaugural Olympic boxing medalist and a member of the Congress party, switched allegiance and joined the BJP. Singh contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from the South Delhi constituency as a Congress candidate, albeit unsuccessfully.
Speculation had been circulating for the past few days regarding his potential candidacy as the party’s nominee from Mathura, where incumbent MP Hema Malini, an actor, is contesting again. Singh hails from the Jat community, which holds significant political sway in numerous constituencies across Haryana, his home state, as well as in western Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Gourav Vallabh
Gourav Vallabh, a former Congress spokesperson who had served as the party’s representative on multiple platforms, has resigned and joined the BJP. He attributed his decision to the party’s lack of a clear stance on crucial matters such as the caste census, the Ram Temple, and Sanatan Dharma.
Vallabh’s resignation comes before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, coinciding with the departure of several other Congress leaders, including Olympian boxer Vijender Singh and former MP Sanjay Nirupam.
He began his association with the Indian National Congress in 2017, and within a year, Randeep Surjewala acknowledged his capabilities, appointing him to represent the party in television debates by 2018.
Sanjay Nirupam
Sanjay Nirupam, the latest Congress leader in Mumbai to resign, despite the party’s assertion that it had expelled him for “indiscipline” and “anti-party statements.” The indications were clear after the former Mumbai Congress chief launched a persistent critique of the party leadership for “ceding” constituencies in Mumbai to the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray for the Lok Sabha elections.
Nirupam was eager to contest from Mumbai North West, but the Shiv Sena (UBT) announced its candidate for the seat. In a scathing critique of the party leadership, Nirupam accused them of “excessive arrogance.” He stated, “The party leadership has become obsolete and ineffective,” emphasizing that Rahul Gandhi was surrounded by individuals disconnected from grassroots realities.