In a significant political move, Vibhakar Shastri, the grandson of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, has resigned from the Indian National Congress and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). His decision to switch parties was formalized in Lucknow, where he joined the BJP in the presence of prominent party leaders including State President Bhupinder Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak.
Shastri’s move underscores a trend of high-profile exits from the Congress in recent years, with several prominent leaders defecting to other parties. Welcoming Shastri into the BJP fold, leaders emphasized the potential benefits of his association given his family’s political legacy. Siddharth Nath Singh, another member of the Shastri family and a BJP MLA, endorsed the decision, highlighting the appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inclusive governance philosophy.