MP: Former BJP minister Deepak Joshi joins Congress ahead of state polls
Bhopal (PTI): In a setback to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Madhya Pradesh ahead of the state Assembly elections, senior leader and former minister Deepak Joshi joined the Opposition Congress on Saturday.
Deepak Joshi, the son of former Chief Minister late Kailash Joshi, joined the Congress in the presence of the party's state chief Kamal Nath at the party's state headquarters here.
The three-time MLA accused the state's BJP-government of ignoring the legacy of his late father Kailash Joshi.
Deepak Joshi, aged around 60 years, entered the Assembly for the first time from Bagli in Dewas district in 2003 and later successfully contested twice (in 2008 and 2013) from the Hatpiplya seat in the same district.
After his third election victory, Joshi joined Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's cabinet and remained its member till 2018.
The BJP leader lost the Assembly election in 2018 from Hatpiplya to Congress candidate Manoj Choudhary, who went on to join the BJP in 2020 and won again from Hatpiplya in a subsequent bypoll.
Choudhary and more than 20 other MLAs loyal to then-Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, now union civil aviation minister, rocked the Congress boat in March 2020, which led to the fall of the Kamal Nath government and paved the way for the BJP's return to power in the state.
According to sources, Deepak Joshi has remained largely sidelined in the saffron outfit since then.
The state assembly election in Madhya Pradesh is due later this year.
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4 held for sexually assaulting woman, girl on moving bus after social media alert in UP's Agra
Agra (UP) (PTI): Four people were arrested, after a prompt response by police following a social media alert, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and a girl inside a moving bus here, officials said on Tuesday.
According to an official police statement, at 12:27 am on April 27, information was received on the social media platform X about an incident of sexual assault on a bus travelling from Kanpur to Ahmedabad, which was approaching Namner crossing in Agra.
Acting under the direction of Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar, the Agra Police social media team immediately alerted the Rakabganj police station within minutes and coordinated with the victims to confirm the incident and obtain the exact location, it stated.
Police teams launched intensive checking at Namner crossing and intercepted the bus as it reached the spot. The four accused involved in the incident were apprehended on the spot, and legal action was initiated against them, the statement said.
The police said the swift response and coordination between the social media team and field units ensured timely action, bringing relief to the victims and other passengers, who expressed gratitude towards the police, it added.
