Gondia, Sep 8: Maharashtra BJP leader and former MLA Gopaldas Agrawal on Sunday said he was leaving the saffron party and joining the Congress on September 13.
Addressing a press conference, the former MLA from Gondiya said he was leaving the BJP with a heavy heart as its policies were not acceptable and party workers had not worked with full commitment for him.
"I have tendered my resignation from the primary membership of the BJP in a letter to party president JP Nadda. I joined the BJP in 2019 to contest the assembly polls but faced defeat at the hands of Independent candidate Vinod Agrawal due to lack of cooperation from the party workers," said Agrawal, who won from the seat on a Congress ticket in 2004, 2009 and 2014.
"I am forced to leave with a heavy heart. I have also spoken about my decision to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule. I will return to the Congress on September 13 in the presence of Maharashtra in charge Ramesh Chennithala," he told reporters.
He claimed senior leaders like Chennithala and others have said the Congress will contest from Gondia in the upcoming assembly polls as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi but added he was not joining his old party for the sake of a ticket.
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Bengaluru: The Vartha Bharati–Sankalp election analysis has shown a high level of accuracy in predicting the outcome of the recent Karnataka Assembly by-elections held in May 2026, correctly calling winners in both constituencies and closely estimating vote share trends.
The by-elections were held in Bagalkot and Davanagere South, drawing significant political attention as both seats were seen as key tests for the ruling Congress and opposition BJP.
According to the analysis, Vartha Bharati–Sankalp had made three major projections ahead of the results the winning party, vote share percentages, and margin of victory.
In both constituencies, the platform accurately predicted that the Congress would emerge victorious. The outcome matched the projections, with Congress candidates winning in Bagalkot and Davanagere South.
In terms of vote share, the predictions were largely in line with the final results. In Bagalkot, the BJP’s vote share was forecast in the range of 40 to 46 per cent, while the actual figure stood at 42.9 per cent. The Congress vote share, however, exceeded expectations, with the party securing 55.4 per cent against a projected range of 43 to 48 per cent.
The margin of victory in Bagalkot turned out to be significantly higher than anticipated. While the projection had placed the margin between 2,000 and 3,500 votes, the final margin was around 22,332 votes.
In Davanagere South, the predictions also remained largely accurate. The Congress vote share was projected between 43 and 51 per cent, and the final figure stood at 43.9 per cent. The BJP was expected to secure between 42 and 50 per cent but ended with 40.3 per cent.
The analysis had also identified the role of SDPI as a potential spoiler in the constituency. While its vote share was estimated around 6 per cent, the party eventually secured around 12 per cent of the vote.
The margin of victory in Davanagere South was predicted to be between 1,500 and 2,600 votes. The actual margin was higher at around 5,708 votes, though the contest remained relatively close as anticipated.
Overall, the performance of Vartha Bharati–Sankalp stood out for correctly identifying the winning parties in both seats and maintaining close accuracy in vote share estimates, with only limited deviations in specific cases.
