JP Nadda welcomes Vijay Singh Mankotia in BJP as he leaves Congress for third time

Retired Major Vijai Singh Makotia left Congress for the third time and joined Bhartiya Janata Party ahead of the Himachal Pradesh assembly polls that are due on November 12.

Image credit: ANI

New Delhi: Ahead of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Elections 2022, retired Major Vijai Singh Mankotia on Tuesday (October 25) once again left congress and joined the Bhartiya Janata Party. BJP national president JP Nadda welcoming Mankotia in the saffron party said the latter had decided to leave Congress and serve BJP.
"Major (Retd) Vijai Singh Mankotia decided to leave Congress and join & serve BJP. I welcome him to the party," ANI quoted JP Nadda.

Veteran politician and former Congress leader Major Vijay Singh Mankotia has left the grand old party twice and later announced his retirement from active politics blaming "dirty politics." However, on Tuesday Makotia joined the BJP just ahead of the state assembly polls slated on November 12.

Retired Major Vijai Singh Mankotia joins BJP

Two-time minister Mankotia joined the BJP after quitting the Congress third time that he joined in 2012 amidst the presence of party`s national president Jagat Prakash Nadda and Congress turncoat Harsh Mahajan who recently joined the saffron party at a function at the residence of Nadda in Bilaspur town.

Mankotia, won four elections in a row, one as an Independent and two on Congress ticket, was unceremoniously removed from the post of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Board`s Vice Chairman in July 2017 for seeking the removal of then Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh as he was facing cases of disproportionate assets.

At that time, Mankotia said everything was in public domain about how the Central Bureau of Investigation nabbed a senior functionary of the state Industries Department in a bribery case and his alleged links with the Chief Minister`s Office.

Having lost the assembly elections in 2012 from his arch-rival Sarveen Chowdhary from Shahpur, Mankotia was appointed the Tourism Board Vice Chairman in 2014 by the Chief Minister.

The disgruntled former legislator from Kangra had joined the BSP in July 2007. He was suspended from the Congress for criticising state leaders and the party high command.

He had released a much-hyped audio CD of a telephonic conversation of monetary transactions between Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha and a former bureaucrat.

He had also released a list of corrupt state bureaucrats and politicians, especially those who were close to Virbhadra Singh.

(With IANS inputs)