Mumbai, Aug 16 (IANS): Former Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Maharashtra's Bhandara-Gondia Lok Sabha constituency, Shishupal Patle on Friday joined Congress ahead of the state Assembly election.

This is said to be a setback for the BJP, especially after it lost the seat to Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

Congress' state unit chief Nana Patole welcomed Patle into the party and said that due to his joining, the organisation will be strengthened in East Vidarbha.

Patole said that there was great anger among the people against the malpractices of the Central and state governments. "Farmers, labourers, women, students, youth, traders, and the middle class are not satisfied during the tenure of the MahaYuti government. The corrupt grand coalition (MahaYuti) government has made Maharashtra bankrupt. Nearly 40-50 per cent commission is being charged on each job. 'Give commission and take tender' is the only work going on in the state," he alleged.

"The MahaYuti government has left the common people, including the farmers, and the unemployed, in the lurch. Therefore, there is a lot of anger among the people against this government," he said, adding that the leaders of the constituent parties of the MahaYuti government are also not happy with the work of this government, so many people joined the Congress party in the last few days.

"Many big leaders are going to join the Congress party in the coming days as well," Patole claimed.

Patle said that he worked in the BJP for many years but now was no longer in the party.

"BJP has now become a party of traders and contractors and it has nothing to do with farmers and common people. Activists like us do not like the desire to gain power by misusing institutions like ED and CBI and breaking the opposition party," he added.

Patle said that he joined the Congress party as "it can do the job of giving justice to the people of this country and the state, and also take Maharashtra forward".

Meanwhile, Congress has launched a campaign on social media against the MahaYuti government for awarding tenders of various projects allegedly by taking commission. The party has appealed to the people to scan the QR code and register their voices against the MahaYuti government.