Tag: Mokama

  • Bypolls: Big win for TRS in Telangana; BJP pockets 4 seats

    By Online Desk

    The BJP pocketed four seats in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha, while the RJD retained the Mokama assembly seat in the bypolls to seven assembly constituencies in six states.

    Of the four seats the BJP won, the party retained the Gopalganj seat in Bihar. The RJD held on to the Mokama seat on a day when by-election results to seven constituencies spread across six states – Bihar, Telangana, Odisha, UP, Maharashtra and Haryana – came out.

    Munugode (Telangana)

    The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) won the high stakes bypoll in Munugode by over 10,000 votes. The BJP candidate Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy gave a tough fight to TRS’ Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy and it was a neck and neck race during the initial rounds of counting.

    However, Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy managed to extend the lead and won by a convincing margin in the prestigious battle. The Congress failed to secure a deposit. 

    Final vote share in #MunugodeBypollTRS – 42.90%BJP – 38.41%INC – 10.60%BSP – 1.84%NOTA – 0.21%Others – 6.05%@XpressHyderabad @NewIndianXpress
    — V.V. Balakrishna-TNIE (@balaexpressTNIE) November 6, 2022
    BJP’s candidate Raj Gopal Reddy has conceded defeat. He claimed that TRS won through illegal means. 

    “One returning officer was suspended for the first time in history. After the deadline, many TRS leaders remained in the assembly segment. Money was distributed on the polling day as well,” he alleged.

    However, minister KT Rama Rao rejected the allegations of TRS using “unfair means” made by BJP candidate Rajagopal Reddy.

    ALSO READ | Munugode, a costly political exercise

    He hit back at the BJP by posing a series of questions: “Isn’t it true that Rs 1 crore seized by the police even before the by-election was notified was being brought into the constituency by a BJP leader from Karimnagar? Isn’t it true that Eatala Rajender’s PA K Srinivas was caught with Rs. 90 lakh? Isn’t it true that Dr. Vivek had transferred Rs. 2.5 crore through hawala route? Isn’t it true that Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy’s Sushee Infra had transferred Rs. 5.24 crore to Munugode voters? Isn’t it true that the BJP leaders brought pressure on the ECI to declare that there was no evidence to substantiate the charges made by the TRS?” 

    Mokama and Gopalganj (Bihar)

    In Bihar, RJD candidate Neelam Devi won the Mokama seat by more than 16,000 votes.

    The BJP retained the Gopalganj assembly seat with its candidate Kusum Devi, wife of MLA Subhash Singh whose death had necessitated the by-election, polling 70,032 votes, while RJD’s Mohan Gupta got 68,243.

    Bihar saw the first electoral test for the Nitish Kumar-led ‘Mahagathbandhan’ government, formed less than three months ago after the JD(U) parted ways with the BJP.

    The BJP contested from the Mokama constituency for the first time as the saffron party had, on previous occasions, left the seat to its allies.

    A total of 619 polling booths were set up in the two constituencies. Fifteen candidates are in the fray — nine in Gopalganj and six in Mokama.

    The Mokama seat fell vacant following the disqualification of RJD MLA Anant Singh after his conviction in an Arms Act case, while the by-election in Gopalganj was necessitated following the death of sitting BJP MLA Subhash Singh.

    Mokama has been the stronghold of Anant Singh since 2005. He won the seat twice on JD(U) tickets.

    Singh fought as an RJD candidate in the 2020 elections and retained the seat. But he was disqualified from the assembly following his conviction in the criminal case.

    Andheri (East)/Mumbai

    The Uddhav Thackeray faction bagged the Andheri (East) segment in Mumbai as the party candidate Rutuja Latke won by a massive margin of over 66,000 votes.

    The BJP had withdrawn its candidate following appeals by several parties to back Rutuja Latke. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, both constituents of the MVA, have supported Rutuja Latke’s candidature.

    The bypoll was necessitated by the death of Rutuja Latke’s husband and Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke in May. 

    Whatever, this victory is seen as a morale booster for Uddhav Thackeray after a BJP-backed coup led by Eknath Shinde split his Shiv Sena and unseated his government in Maharashtra.

    Interestingly, as many as 7,556 votes were polled in favour of the NOTA option, leaving the six other independent candidates far behind. The NOTA gives an option to electors not to vote in favour of any of the candidates in an election.

    Dhamnagar (Odisha)

    The opposition BJP on Sunday retained the Dhamnagar assembly seat of Odisha in a bypoll, defeating the ruling BJD by a margin of 9,881, an Election Commission official said.

    The bypoll was necessitated by the death of BJP MLA Bishnu Charan Sethi in September.

    Sethi’s son Suryabanshi Suraj, who was the party’s candidate, secured 80,351 votes, while BJD’s Abanti Das bagged 70,470 votes, the official said.

    Congress nominee Baba Harekrushna Sethi got only 3,561 votes.
    Gola Gokarannath (UP)

    The BJP retained the Gola Gokarannath assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh with its candidate Aman Giri defeating his nearest rival and Samajwadi Party candidate by over 34,000 votes.

    Counting started here at 8 am amid tight security arrangements. Returning Officer Anurag Singh said the counting is likely to be held in 32 rounds.

    The November 3 Gokarannath assembly bypolls recorded a polling percentage of 57.35 per cent. Seven contestants were in the fray.

    The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of BJP MLA Arvind Giri on September 6. The BSP and the Congress kept away from the poll this time.

    The main contest was between BJP’s Aman Giri, the son of Arvind Giri, and SP candidate and former Gola Gokarannath MLA Tiwari. The BJP’s campaign was led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

    Gola Gokarannath is part of Union minister Ajay Mishra’s Lakhimpur Kheri parliamentary constituency. Mishra has been in the eye of a storm following the killing of four farmers during violence in October last year. His son is an accused in the case.

    Adampur (Haryana)

    The BJP also won Adampur in Haryana with its candidate Bhavya Bishnoi defeating his nearest rival and Congress candidate Jai Prakash by a margin of around 16,000 votes.

    With the win, former chief minister Bhajan Lal’s family has maintained its winning streak in the assembly segment. Bhavya is Bhajan Lal’s grandson.

    ALSO READ | Adampur bye-election: Test for Bhajan Lal family

    The Adampur seat has been held by the Bhajan Lal family since 1968, with the late ex-chief minister representing it on nine occasions, his wife Jasma Devi once, and younger son Kuldeep Bishnoi on four occasions.

    The by-election was necessitated after Kuldeep Bishnoi resigned as MLA from the seat and switched from the Congress to the BJP in August.

    (With inputs from Express News Service and PTI)

    The BJP pocketed four seats in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha, while the RJD retained the Mokama assembly seat in the bypolls to seven assembly constituencies in six states.

    Of the four seats the BJP won, the party retained the Gopalganj seat in Bihar. The RJD held on to the Mokama seat on a day when by-election results to seven constituencies spread across six states – Bihar, Telangana, Odisha, UP, Maharashtra and Haryana – came out.

    Munugode (Telangana)

    The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) won the high stakes bypoll in Munugode by over 10,000 votes. The BJP candidate Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy gave a tough fight to TRS’ Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy and it was a neck and neck race during the initial rounds of counting.

    However, Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy managed to extend the lead and won by a convincing margin in the prestigious battle. The Congress failed to secure a deposit. 

    Final vote share in #MunugodeBypoll
    TRS – 42.90%
    BJP – 38.41%
    INC – 10.60%
    BSP – 1.84%
    NOTA – 0.21%
    Others – 6.05%@XpressHyderabad @NewIndianXpress
    — V.V. Balakrishna-TNIE (@balaexpressTNIE) November 6, 2022
    BJP’s candidate Raj Gopal Reddy has conceded defeat. He claimed that TRS won through illegal means. 

    “One returning officer was suspended for the first time in history. After the deadline, many TRS leaders remained in the assembly segment. Money was distributed on the polling day as well,” he alleged.

    However, minister KT Rama Rao rejected the allegations of TRS using “unfair means” made by BJP candidate Rajagopal Reddy.

    ALSO READ | Munugode, a costly political exercise

    He hit back at the BJP by posing a series of questions: “Isn’t it true that Rs 1 crore seized by the police even before the by-election was notified was being brought into the constituency by a BJP leader from Karimnagar? Isn’t it true that Eatala Rajender’s PA K Srinivas was caught with Rs. 90 lakh? Isn’t it true that Dr. Vivek had transferred Rs. 2.5 crore through hawala route? Isn’t it true that Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy’s Sushee Infra had transferred Rs. 5.24 crore to Munugode voters? Isn’t it true that the BJP leaders brought pressure on the ECI to declare that there was no evidence to substantiate the charges made by the TRS?” 

    Mokama and Gopalganj (Bihar)

    In Bihar, RJD candidate Neelam Devi won the Mokama seat by more than 16,000 votes.

    The BJP retained the Gopalganj assembly seat with its candidate Kusum Devi, wife of MLA Subhash Singh whose death had necessitated the by-election, polling 70,032 votes, while RJD’s Mohan Gupta got 68,243.

    Bihar saw the first electoral test for the Nitish Kumar-led ‘Mahagathbandhan’ government, formed less than three months ago after the JD(U) parted ways with the BJP.

    The BJP contested from the Mokama constituency for the first time as the saffron party had, on previous occasions, left the seat to its allies.

    A total of 619 polling booths were set up in the two constituencies. Fifteen candidates are in the fray — nine in Gopalganj and six in Mokama.

    The Mokama seat fell vacant following the disqualification of RJD MLA Anant Singh after his conviction in an Arms Act case, while the by-election in Gopalganj was necessitated following the death of sitting BJP MLA Subhash Singh.

    Mokama has been the stronghold of Anant Singh since 2005. He won the seat twice on JD(U) tickets.

    Singh fought as an RJD candidate in the 2020 elections and retained the seat. But he was disqualified from the assembly following his conviction in the criminal case.

    Andheri (East)/Mumbai

    The Uddhav Thackeray faction bagged the Andheri (East) segment in Mumbai as the party candidate Rutuja Latke won by a massive margin of over 66,000 votes.

    The BJP had withdrawn its candidate following appeals by several parties to back Rutuja Latke. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, both constituents of the MVA, have supported Rutuja Latke’s candidature.

    The bypoll was necessitated by the death of Rutuja Latke’s husband and Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke in May. 

    Whatever, this victory is seen as a morale booster for Uddhav Thackeray after a BJP-backed coup led by Eknath Shinde split his Shiv Sena and unseated his government in Maharashtra.

    Interestingly, as many as 7,556 votes were polled in favour of the NOTA option, leaving the six other independent candidates far behind. The NOTA gives an option to electors not to vote in favour of any of the candidates in an election.

    Dhamnagar (Odisha)

    The opposition BJP on Sunday retained the Dhamnagar assembly seat of Odisha in a bypoll, defeating the ruling BJD by a margin of 9,881, an Election Commission official said.

    The bypoll was necessitated by the death of BJP MLA Bishnu Charan Sethi in September.

    Sethi’s son Suryabanshi Suraj, who was the party’s candidate, secured 80,351 votes, while BJD’s Abanti Das bagged 70,470 votes, the official said.

    Congress nominee Baba Harekrushna Sethi got only 3,561 votes.
    Gola Gokarannath (UP)

    The BJP retained the Gola Gokarannath assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh with its candidate Aman Giri defeating his nearest rival and Samajwadi Party candidate by over 34,000 votes.

    Counting started here at 8 am amid tight security arrangements. Returning Officer Anurag Singh said the counting is likely to be held in 32 rounds.

    The November 3 Gokarannath assembly bypolls recorded a polling percentage of 57.35 per cent. Seven contestants were in the fray.

    The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of BJP MLA Arvind Giri on September 6. The BSP and the Congress kept away from the poll this time.

    The main contest was between BJP’s Aman Giri, the son of Arvind Giri, and SP candidate and former Gola Gokarannath MLA Tiwari. The BJP’s campaign was led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

    Gola Gokarannath is part of Union minister Ajay Mishra’s Lakhimpur Kheri parliamentary constituency. Mishra has been in the eye of a storm following the killing of four farmers during violence in October last year. His son is an accused in the case.

    Adampur (Haryana)

    The BJP also won Adampur in Haryana with its candidate Bhavya Bishnoi defeating his nearest rival and Congress candidate Jai Prakash by a margin of around 16,000 votes.

    With the win, former chief minister Bhajan Lal’s family has maintained its winning streak in the assembly segment. Bhavya is Bhajan Lal’s grandson.

    ALSO READ | Adampur bye-election: Test for Bhajan Lal family

    The Adampur seat has been held by the Bhajan Lal family since 1968, with the late ex-chief minister representing it on nine occasions, his wife Jasma Devi once, and younger son Kuldeep Bishnoi on four occasions.

    The by-election was necessitated after Kuldeep Bishnoi resigned as MLA from the seat and switched from the Congress to the BJP in August.

    (With inputs from Express News Service and PTI)

  • Bihar bypolls: RJD, BJP locked in fierce battle in Mokama, Gopalgunj

    By PTI

    PATNA: The stage is set for a tough battle in Mokama assembly constituency of Bihar in the November 3 by-poll as the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to win the seat for the first time, while the ruling Mahagathbandhan’s largest constituent RJD is going all-out to retain it.

    BJP nominee Sonam Devi is up against RJD’s Neelam Devi, whose husband Anant Singh’s disqualification has necessitated the by-election.

    Neelam Devi’s nomination was supported by the seven-party grand alliance, formed after stripping the saffron camp of power in the state in August.

    Apart from Mokama, by-election to Gopalgunj will also be held on Thursday, and this will be the first electoral test for the Nitish Kumar-led ‘Mahagathbandhan’ government, formed less than three months ago.

    State Finance Minister and Senior JD(U) leader Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said, “The Mahagathbandhan candidates will comfortably win from both assembly seats. Electorates have seen the development work undertaken by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the state. Mokama is the stronghold of Anant Singh since 2005. He won the seat twice on JD(U) tickets.”

    Singh fought as an RJD candidate in the 2020 elections and retained the seat.

    But he was disqualified from the assembly following his conviction in a criminal case.

    Deputy CM and RJD heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav led from the front as he addressed rallies both in Mokama and Gopalganj.

    BJP candidate Sonam Devi, wife of a local muscleman Lalan Singh who has been opposed to Anant Singh, is a greenhorn.

    Her husband is known to be a confidant of Suraj Bhan Singh.

    Suraj Bhan Singh, a dreaded gangster-turned-politician, had made his electoral debut in the 2000 assembly elections when he wrested the Mokama seat, by an astounding margin, contesting as an Independent and defeating Anant Singh’s elder brother Dilip Singh, who was a minister in the Rabri Devi government.

    Along with top BJP leaders, including Sushil Kumar Modi, Sanjay Jaiswal and Nityanand Rai, Suraj Bhan Singh has also been campaigning for Sonam Devi.

    Alleging that the Mahagathbandhan government is ‘anti-people and anti-poor’, Bihar BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand said the grand alliance candidates in the two seats will experience ‘humiliating defeat as voters don’t want the return of jungle raj in the state’.

    The BJP is contesting from the Mokama constituency for the first time as the saffron party had, on previous occasions, left the seat to its allies.

    Around 2,70,166 electorates in the assembly segment are eligible to exercise their franchise.

    The assembly constituency comprises blocks of Ghoswari and Mokama besides gram panchayats of Raili, Lemuabad, West Pandarak, East Pandarak, Kondi, Dhobhawan, Khushhal Chak, Chak Jalal, Ajgara Bakawan, Darwe Bhadaur and Baruane Bathoi of Pandarak block.

    PATNA: The stage is set for a tough battle in Mokama assembly constituency of Bihar in the November 3 by-poll as the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to win the seat for the first time, while the ruling Mahagathbandhan’s largest constituent RJD is going all-out to retain it.

    BJP nominee Sonam Devi is up against RJD’s Neelam Devi, whose husband Anant Singh’s disqualification has necessitated the by-election.

    Neelam Devi’s nomination was supported by the seven-party grand alliance, formed after stripping the saffron camp of power in the state in August.

    Apart from Mokama, by-election to Gopalgunj will also be held on Thursday, and this will be the first electoral test for the Nitish Kumar-led ‘Mahagathbandhan’ government, formed less than three months ago.

    State Finance Minister and Senior JD(U) leader Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said, “The Mahagathbandhan candidates will comfortably win from both assembly seats. Electorates have seen the development work undertaken by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the state. Mokama is the stronghold of Anant Singh since 2005. He won the seat twice on JD(U) tickets.”

    Singh fought as an RJD candidate in the 2020 elections and retained the seat.

    But he was disqualified from the assembly following his conviction in a criminal case.

    Deputy CM and RJD heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav led from the front as he addressed rallies both in Mokama and Gopalganj.

    BJP candidate Sonam Devi, wife of a local muscleman Lalan Singh who has been opposed to Anant Singh, is a greenhorn.

    Her husband is known to be a confidant of Suraj Bhan Singh.

    Suraj Bhan Singh, a dreaded gangster-turned-politician, had made his electoral debut in the 2000 assembly elections when he wrested the Mokama seat, by an astounding margin, contesting as an Independent and defeating Anant Singh’s elder brother Dilip Singh, who was a minister in the Rabri Devi government.

    Along with top BJP leaders, including Sushil Kumar Modi, Sanjay Jaiswal and Nityanand Rai, Suraj Bhan Singh has also been campaigning for Sonam Devi.

    Alleging that the Mahagathbandhan government is ‘anti-people and anti-poor’, Bihar BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand said the grand alliance candidates in the two seats will experience ‘humiliating defeat as voters don’t want the return of jungle raj in the state’.

    The BJP is contesting from the Mokama constituency for the first time as the saffron party had, on previous occasions, left the seat to its allies.

    Around 2,70,166 electorates in the assembly segment are eligible to exercise their franchise.

    The assembly constituency comprises blocks of Ghoswari and Mokama besides gram panchayats of Raili, Lemuabad, West Pandarak, East Pandarak, Kondi, Dhobhawan, Khushhal Chak, Chak Jalal, Ajgara Bakawan, Darwe Bhadaur and Baruane Bathoi of Pandarak block.

  • Aide of RJD’s Mokama strongman shot dead 

    By Express News Service

    PATNA:  A close aide of muscleman and former RJD MLA Anant Singh was shot dead in broad daylight in Patna on Wednesday, intensifying tension in the Mokama area ahead of the Assembly bypoll. Dheeraj Singh, 42, a resident of Deoli in the Nalanda district, was killed by unidentified armed criminals at Patliputra Colony when he was travelling in a car. The assailants fired at least 12 bullets at his car. Singh, a former mukhiya, later succumbed to injuries.

    Police said Singh, better known as Lalji, was seeking votes for Anant Singh’s wife Neelam Devi who is contesting on an RJD ticket.  The elections will be held on November 3.  It is believed that Dheeraj was killed in retaliation for the murder of another muscleman, Fantu Singh. Fantu was close to another don of Mokama, Viveka Pehalwan, who had an old rivalry with Anant Singh. Both Anant and Viveka had buried the hatchet recently. 

    “The rivalry between Anant and Lalan Singh (husband of BJP nominee Sonam Devi) is a known secret,” Jaiprakash Singh, a local resident, said. Authorities have intensified patrolling in the constituency. “We are keeping a watch on the activities of people with shady past,” a police officer said.

    PATNA:  A close aide of muscleman and former RJD MLA Anant Singh was shot dead in broad daylight in Patna on Wednesday, intensifying tension in the Mokama area ahead of the Assembly bypoll. Dheeraj Singh, 42, a resident of Deoli in the Nalanda district, was killed by unidentified armed criminals at Patliputra Colony when he was travelling in a car. The assailants fired at least 12 bullets at his car. Singh, a former mukhiya, later succumbed to injuries.

    Police said Singh, better known as Lalji, was seeking votes for Anant Singh’s wife Neelam Devi who is contesting on an RJD ticket.  The elections will be held on November 3.  It is believed that Dheeraj was killed in retaliation for the murder of another muscleman, Fantu Singh. Fantu was close to another don of Mokama, Viveka Pehalwan, who had an old rivalry with Anant Singh. Both Anant and Viveka had buried the hatchet recently. 

    “The rivalry between Anant and Lalan Singh (husband of BJP nominee Sonam Devi) is a known secret,” Jaiprakash Singh, a local resident, said. Authorities have intensified patrolling in the constituency. “We are keeping a watch on the activities of people with shady past,” a police officer said.

  • Boost for Bihar BJP ahead of two bypolls in Bihar

    Express News Service

    PATNA: The opposition BJP is elated over the joining of two influential leaders of the ruling grand alliance ahead of the by-election to be held in two assembly seats Gopalganj and Mokama in Bihar on November 3. A senior JD(U) functionary Sadanand Singh, who was associated with chief minister Nitish Kumar since the formation of the Samata Party, resigned from the primary membership of JD(U) and joined BJP in the presence of state chief Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal and other senior leaders here. 

    Singh, who had earlier served as JD(U) district chief of Gopalganj, exuded confidence that BJP would retain the Gopalganj seat in a by-election scheduled to be held on November 3. The saffron party has fielded Kusum Devi, wife of Subhash Singh, from Gopalganj.

    The Gopalganj seat fell vacant after the death of Subhash Singh. BJP leaders are elated over joining of Sadanand Singh ahead of the by-poll in Gopalganj. “Singh’s joining has given a jolt to RJD, which has fielded Mohan Gupta from the seat,” said an RJD source.

    RJD has been trying to win this seat for a long time but even during the slide victory for the grand alliance in 2015 assembly polls, the seat had gone to BJP’s Subhash Singh. A major chunk of voters is likely to shift from JD(U) to BJP following Sadanand Singh’s resignation.

    On Sunday, former RJD MLA Amarnath Gami joined BJP in the presence of BJPfunctionaries in Patna. Gami, a two-term MLA from Hayaghat in Darbhanga, had left JD(U) and joined RJD after being denied ticket from JD(U) in 2020 assembly election.

    Jolt to RJD, JD(U)Sadanand Singh, who was associated with chief minister Nitish Kumar since the formation of Samata Party, resigned and joined BJP.  Former RJD MLA Amarnath Gami joined the BJP on Sunday

    PATNA: The opposition BJP is elated over the joining of two influential leaders of the ruling grand alliance ahead of the by-election to be held in two assembly seats Gopalganj and Mokama in Bihar on November 3. A senior JD(U) functionary Sadanand Singh, who was associated with chief minister Nitish Kumar since the formation of the Samata Party, resigned from the primary membership of JD(U) and joined BJP in the presence of state chief Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal and other senior leaders here. 

    Singh, who had earlier served as JD(U) district chief of Gopalganj, exuded confidence that BJP would retain the Gopalganj seat in a by-election scheduled to be held on November 3. The saffron party 
    has fielded Kusum Devi, wife of Subhash Singh, from Gopalganj.

    The Gopalganj seat fell vacant after the death of Subhash Singh. BJP leaders are elated over joining of Sadanand Singh ahead of the by-poll in Gopalganj. “Singh’s joining has given a jolt to RJD, which has fielded Mohan Gupta from the seat,” said an RJD source.

    RJD has been trying to win this seat for a long time but even during the slide victory for the grand alliance in 2015 assembly polls, the seat had gone to BJP’s Subhash Singh. A major chunk of voters is likely to shift from JD(U) to BJP following Sadanand Singh’s resignation.

    On Sunday, former RJD MLA Amarnath Gami joined BJP in the presence of BJPfunctionaries in Patna. Gami, a two-term MLA from Hayaghat in Darbhanga, had left JD(U) and joined RJD after being denied ticket from JD(U) in 2020 assembly election.

    Jolt to RJD, JD(U)
    Sadanand Singh, who was associated with chief minister Nitish Kumar since the formation of Samata Party, resigned and joined BJP.  Former RJD MLA Amarnath Gami joined the BJP on Sunday