Bhopal, Feb 9 (IANS): The Madhya Pradesh unit of the ruling BJP has started denting the Congress in its strongholds in view of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections slated for later this year.

Over a dozen Congress leaders, including Jabalpur Municipal Corporation Mayor Jagat Bahadur Singh and Sumer Singh, a close aide of former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh shifted to the BJP recently.

Sources told IANS that some more Congress leaders are likely to join hands with the saffron party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP’s new joining committee headed by former State Home Minister Narottam Mishra has reportedly prepared a long list of Congress leaders to be brought into the party fold.

The list includes the names of some former BJP leaders who had shifted to the Congress ahead of the Assembly election.

“There is a long list of Congress leaders willing to shift to the BJP. However, only those Congress leaders will be allowed into the BJP who have a strong base in their regions and who make a perfect fit for the party’s ideology. Instructions regarding this have been issued from the central leadership,” a senior BJP leader told IANS on condition of anonymity.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who does not make any political or administrative move without directions from the party’s central leadership, also recently stated that many Congress leaders in Madhya Pradesh were willing to join the BJP.

More importantly, the BJP has started weakening the Congress’ two stalwarts – Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh in their bastions Chhindwara and Raghogarh respectively.

Recently, keeping the 29 Lok Sabha seats in the state in mind, the BJP reshuffled incharges for various regions.

Senior leader and Urban Development Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is considered close to Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, was assigned the Mahakaushal (Jabalpur) region, which is a relatively strong zone for the Congress.

The result was visible within a week as two Congress leaders Shashank Shekhar (ex-Congress legal head) and Jabalpur Mayor Jagat Bahadur Singh joined the BJP.

Both these leaders were considered close to former Chief Minister Kamal Nath and his bastion Chhindwara also falls under the Mahakaushal cluster.

Recently, Sumer Singh, a close aide of Congress Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh joined the BJP in the presence of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Furthermore, state BJP President, VD Sharma started a wall-writing campaign in Raghogarh from Thursday, in a way throwing the gauntlet to Digvijaya Singh.