Today, Congress spokesman Tom Vadakkan, who helped Sonia Gandhi build a media team when she was the party chief, left his party and joined BJP. He had said that he was really disappointed by his party's "questioning of the integrity of the armed forces" after the air strikes at the Jaish-e Mohammed terror camps in Pakistan's Balakot. He said, “If a political party takes such a position that is against the country, then I'm left with no option but to leave the party.”
Party sources have admitted that Mr Vadakkan's move, as much as it was expected, can be a psychological setback. Mr Vadakkan in his long span of nearly 20 years with the Congress, has never been part of electoral politics. For many years, he had been in charge of the party's media strategy but had to step down from his post after the Congress had to step up its game to challenge BJP's muscular social media strategy. The media cell where he worked as a secretary, is currently dominated by Priyanka Chaturvedi and its chief Randeep Surjewala.
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Accusing the Congress of having "dynastic politics" and a "use and throw culture" he said, "It is not acceptable... There's no place in it for self-respecting people". Sources have informed that Mr Vadakkan had been keen on a ticket to contest elections and it seems that the BJP has promised him one.
With less than a month to go for the national elections, Mr Vadakkan has become the second key leader to shift over to the BJP today. Arjun Singh who was the Trinamool Congress lawmaker from Bengal's Bhatpara assembly seat switched sides in New Delhi today in the afternoon.