Dehradun, January 19: Late Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat's brother Colonel Vijay Rawat (Retd), joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday ahead of the upcoming Uttarakhand elections. This came after Vijay Rawat met Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami in Delhi earlier today.

"I'm grateful to have been given the opportunity to join BJP. My father was with BJP after retiring and now I've gotten a chance", said Rawat. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision is out-of-the-box. His thoughts about the development of the country inspire us to join BJP", he added.

Welcoming Vijay Rawat to BJP, CM Dhami said, "Late CDS Bipin Rawat wanted to work for Uttarakhand. We are glad that Vijay Rawat, his brother is here to take forward his ideology." "BJP has always respected the Indian soldiers", he added. Colonel Vijay Rawat, CDS General Bipin Rawat's Brother, Joins BJP Ahead of Uttarakhand Assembly Elections 2022.

CDS Rawat, who hailed from Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand, died in a helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on December 8 last year along with 13 others including his wife Madhulika Rawat.

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)