In a significant political development in Nagpur, Congress MLC Abhijeet Wanjarri extended an open invitation on Wednesday to Rohit Khopde, the son of BJP MLA Krishna Khopde, to join the Congress party. This move came after Rohit resigned from his membership in the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Congress Rolls Out the Red Carpet
Wanjarri stated that the doors of the Congress party are open for Rohit Khopde. He went a step further by promising a "plum post" in the Youth Congress if the young leader decides to switch sides. The Congress leader linked Rohit's resignation to a loss of faith in his father's leadership, calling it a personal decision.
"Rohit no longer has faith in his father's leadership. That is his personal decision. Congress doors are open to him, and if he joins, he will be given a plum post in the Youth Congress," Wanjarri said, framing the offer as an opportunity for the disenchanted leader.
Allegations Over Unprecedented Ticket Denials
Wanjarri connected this individual case to a broader pattern within the BJP, particularly concerning the ongoing local body elections. He launched a sharp critique of the BJP's ticket distribution process in Nagpur.
He alleged that BJP MLAs had cut the tickets of sitting corporators in East Nagpur and other assembly segments "in the name of surveys," despite these corporators having a proven track record of repeated electoral victories. Wanjarri claimed that several corporators were denied nominations simply because they had grown "bigger than the leaders."
A Historic and Ruthless Purge, Claims Congress
The Congress MLC made a bold claim about the scale of the denial, stating it was unprecedented in Maharashtra's political history. He said tickets of as many as 64 corporators — which he estimated to be nearly 50% of the total — were cut by the party.
"For the first time in Maharashtra's political history, tickets of as many as 64 corporators — nearly '50%' — were cut by a party," Wanjarri declared. He described the move as ruthless and urged the affected corporators to retaliate. "Corporators whose tickets were cut should show the BJP its place if they are capable and have proven merit," he challenged.
Wanjarri concluded with a scathing remark on the BJP's internal culture, alleging that party workers are now realizing that "humanity is no longer left" in the party. He accused the BJP leadership of making decisions without any regard for loyalty or past performance, signaling a deep internal discontent.
