Ranchi, Nov 15 (PTI) Dinesh William Marandi, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MLA from Littipara assembly constituency, joined the BJP on Friday after being denied a ticket by his party for the elections.

Marandi took BJP membership during a poll rally addressed by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Littipara.

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Chouhan welcomed Marandi into the BJP fold, emphasising that together they would work towards advancing the progress of Jharkhand and focusing on the welfare of its people.

He also launched a scathing attack on the Hemant Soren-led government, accusing it of turning the state into a hub of corruption, poor governance, and scams.

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"The people of Jharkhand are determined to overthrow the corrupt JMM-Congress-led government," Chouhan said.

Marandi, in his remarks, explained that his decision to leave the JMM was due to the denial of a ticket and alleged threats from the party leadership after he voiced his concerns.

"My father, Simon Marandi, was one of the founders of JMM, and I worked for years to strengthen the party. But now, I've been forced to leave for the sake of Jharkhand's progress," he said.

In the 2019 elections, Marandi had won the Littipara seat in Pakur district by a significant margin, defeating BJP's Daniel Kisku by 13,903 votes.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)