Amidst the preparations for ‘Mission-25′ in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, the BJP suffered another major setback in Rajasthan as its Hadoti leader Prahalad Gunjal, a close associate of former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, on Thursday joined the Congress in the presence of another former CM Ashok Gehlot at the party office here.

This defection is being considered as the second major blow to the BJP after the saffron party’s sitting MP from the Churu Lok Sabha seat, Rahul Kaswan, joined the Congress and subsequently secured the Congress ticket to contest against the BJP’s official candidate, Devendra Jhanjharia, a para-olympian.

Gunjal’s name is said to have been finalised by the AICC from the Kota Lok Sabha seat on Wednesday, where he will contest against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Gunjal’s candidature is noteworthy as he holds a stronghold among Gurjar, SC-ST and Muslim communities, whom the Congress also banks on.

However, Gunjal, who contested the 2023 assembly polls from Kota-North, was defeated by the Congress stalwart and former UDH Minister, Shanti Dhariwal. Gunjal protested against the Congress’s prestigious Kota Riverfront development and engaged in legal battle against the Gehlot government but failed to garner support from the BJP.

On this occasion, many Congress leaders and workers, including party’s state president Govind Singh Dotasara, senior leader Dheeraj Gurjar, former minister Ashok Chandna, were present. He was a two-time BJP MLA and a prominent figure in the Gurjar reservation movement under the leadership of the late Colonel Kirori Singh Bhainsla from the Hadoti region.

After joining the Congress, Gunjal targeted the BJP and heaped praises on the grand old party. He remarked: “The BJP did not even acknowledge my sincere dedication during my 40 years’ stint in the party. The Congress is committed to issue-based politics and this this was the driving force behind my decision to join the party.”

Three former Congress leaders of Kota division — Fateh Khan, Sunil Parihar, and Naresh Meena — also returned to the party fold earlier in the day.