Singer Anuradha Paudwal joins BJP ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2024

Famous Bollywood singer Anuradha Paudwal on Saturday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi ahead of the Lok Sabha elections that are scheduled to take place in April or May this year.

Addressing a joint press conference with BJP leaders at the party's headquarters, Paudwal praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said she was happy to join the party led by him.

The famous playback singer, who was conferred the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian award, joined the BJP in the presence of its senior leaders, including national general secretary Arun Singh and chief spokesperson Anil Baluni.

Meanwhile, a Congress MP from Alwar, Karan Singh Yadav, also joined the BJP in Jaipur today. Along with him, several other Congress leaders also joined the saffron party.

Yadav resigned from the Congress' primary membership on Friday after holding senior party leader Bhanwar Jitendra Singh responsible for the denial of ticket to him for contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Alwar.

Yadav joined the BJP at the party's state headquarters in the presence of party state president CP Joshi and other leaders.

In Odisha, popular actor Arindam Roy on Friday resigned from the primary membership of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and joined the opposition BJP. He claimed that he was sidelined by the ruling party.

"The BJD is now saturated. There is no future in it as the party is overcrowded. One can hardly find an opportunity to serve the people for which I quit the party," Roy told reporters after joining the BJP in the presence of the party's state unit president Manmohan Samal.

He claimed to have intensively campaigned for the BJD in various elections in Cuttack district, Tirtol by-elections in Jagatsinghpur, and Koraput (zilla parishad and municipality elections).

Claiming that his works were not recognized by the party, Roy said, "I hope you will understand my situation and not keep any grudge against me".

(With PTI inputs)