Uttarakhand Elections 2022: Expelled Congress leader Kishore Upadhyay joins BJP

Uttarakhand Assembly Elections 2022: Ahead of crucial elections in Uttarakhand, expelled Congress leader Kishore Upadhyay joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday. Upadhyay arrived at the BJP's Dehradun office this morning. Prior to joining the party, he said that he will "do something new now" and that the "time has come to speak up." While speaking to the media after joining BJP, Upadhyay stated, "I think Uttarakhand's development is only possible under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I want to work towards making Uttarakhand a better state." Also Read | Coronavirus update: India reports 2.86 lakh Covid-19 cases in 24 hours Upadhyay further added, "I am impressed with the work RSS and BJP have done in Tehri and Uttarkashi. I am grateful to Prahlad Joshi for giving me this opportunity to be a part of the BJP." Opening up about the reason behind his expulsion from Congress ahead of the 2022 Uttarakhand assembly elections, the newly inducted BJP leader said, "My picture with BJP went viral which was represented in a different light." On Wednesday, the Congress fired Kishore Upadhyay, the former party chief in Uttarakhand, for "anti-party activities." He was expelled from Congress for six years. The All India Congress Committee (AICC) on January 26 issued a letter to Upadhyay saying, "Since you had been indulging in anti-party activities despite several warnings, so you are hereby expelled from the primary membership of Congress party for six years with immediate effect." Elections to the 70-member Uttarakhand assembly will be held on February 14, 2022. The counting of votes will be done on March 10. Also Read | Punjab extends Covid restrictions till February 1; read details -PTC News