In a major blow for the ruling Congress party in Himachal Pradesh, a former Congress leader Arun Mehra moved to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday.
Mr. Mehra joined the BJP with hundreds of supporters in the presence of veteran BJP leader and former chief minister Shanta Kumar at an event in Kangra district, some 250 km from Shimla.
Mr. Arun Mehra lost narrowly to Transport Minister Mr. G.S. Bali in the 2012 assembly elections when he contested as an independent candidate.
Congress sources said that since the party took power in the state, Mr. Bali had blocked Mr. Mehra’s entry into the Congress, making him feel isolated.
Mehra belongs to OBC, which is considered the vote bank of the Congress.
The Lok Sabha elections will take place on May 7 in this hill state.