Congress is hopeful that Balendu Shukla's entry will help the party in upcoming by-polls
Former state Minister and BJP leader Balendu Shukla on Friday joined Congress in the presence of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath.
"Balendu Shukla joined Congress. The reason why he left the Congress earlier is not in the party anymore. It is his homecoming. We all welcome them. There are many people who want to join the party," Kamal Nath said.
Mr Shukla was part of the Congress but left the party in 2009 reportedly due to differences with Jyotiraditya Scindia, who recently joined the BJP.
Mr Shukla was reportedly angry with Mr Scindia's entry into the BJP.
Congress is hopeful that Mr Shukla's entry will help the party in the upcoming by-polls.
After Mr Scindia left the Congress, 22 party MLAs resigned from the Assembly that led to the fall of Kamal Nath-led government in the state.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)