Overview

• On July 31, former three-time MLA Kailas Gorantyal formally joined the BJP at its Maharashtra headquarters in Mumbai with a group of supporters.
• Gorantyal resigned from Congress earlier this week citing personal reasons after losing the Jalna assembly seat in November 2024 and criticizing party leadership.
• His defection follows similar moves by ex-Congress and Shiv Sena legislators in a push to solidify BJP’s regional foothold ahead of next month’s civic polls.
• At the induction ceremony, Gorantyal said he was driven by the BJP’s development agenda and pledged to secure the party’s first mayoral victory in Jalna.
• Shiv Sena MLA Arjun Khotkar denounced the switch as political hypocrisy and alleged it was motivated by fear of an impending inquiry.