New Delhi, Mar 31 : With Lok Sabha elections approaching fast, all major political parties are facing desertions as members are switching over to rival camps. The BJP, Congress, SP, RJD and NCP -- have been hit by the 'Aya Ram, Gaya Ram syndrome' where several members went party hopping.
They range from Sadhu Yadav, controversial brother-in-law of Lalu Prasad to Saleem Sherwani, who was till the other day, one of the most powerful Muslim voices in the SP. There has been an 'Aya Ram, Gaya Ram' of a different kind with BJD, a loyal constituent of the NDA, suddenly dumping the BJP-led alliance and joining the Third Front.
The UPA also got a taste of the phenomenon with Ramdoss-led PMK doing the disappearing act from the alliance and joining hands with the AIADMK, currently a part of the Third Front.
A few of the desertions like that of Mr. Sadhu virtually led to family divide while in some cases the frequency with which leaders changed their preferences was baffling.
In Bihar, Captain Jai Narayan Nishad, who after being denied an RJD ticket was eyeing Congress, finally joined the JD(U) to contest from the Muzaffarpur seat. The RJD MP Pappu Yadav and his wife Ranjita Ranjan from the LJP said they can contest from any of the three -- Congress, RJD and LJP -- with a rider that both of them should get tickets from the same party.
Mr. Sadhu Yadav accompanied by a host of RJD leaders joined the Congress after being denied a ticket by Mr. Prasad. Mr. Yadav's act angered his sister and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi so much so that she said the party doors are shut for him forever. There is also LJP leader Ranjan Yadav, a friend-turned-foe of Lalu Prasad, finally joining JD(U).
In Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party MPs Saleem Sherwani and Shaifq-Ur Barq joined the Congress and BSP respectively when they were denied party tickets. SP's Kirthi Bardhan Singh joined the BSP while former BSP MP Ramesh Dubey also joined the Congress. From the BJP camp, Ramesh Chandra Tomar quit when party president Rajnath Singh was given ticket from Ghaziabad. He later joined the Congress and is contesting from Gautam Budh Nagar.
In Gujrat, Somabhai Patel, a known detractor of Narendra Modi, walked out of the BJP and joined the Congress. But two Congress men Bhavsinha Rathod and Somji Damor quit the party to join the saffron brigade, which is fielding them from Patan and Dahod respectively.
In Maharashtra, Tukaram Renge-Patil left the Shiv Sena for Congress but is now aspiring for an NCP ticket as his Lok Sabha seat went to the NCP quota. Also, Haribhau Rathod quit the BJP to join the Congress.
In other instances of party hopping in Maharashtra, Udayanraje Bhonsle quit the Congress and joined the NCP to get a ticket from Satara. He was earlier with the BJP. Tukaram Gadakh also quit the NCP to join the BSP.
P P Koya, who had won from Lakshwadweep on a JD(U) ticket defeating seven-time MP P M Sayeed of the Congress is contesting this election on an a NCP ticket.
In Karnataka, Shivanna, a prominent leader of the JD(S), quit his party to join the Congress. Former super cop H T Sangliana, who won on a BJP ticket from Bangalore North last time, also joined the Congress. Both Sangliana and Shivanna had voted for the UPA during last year's trust vote in the Lok Sabha.
In a setback to the Congress in Orissa, its youth wing president Rohit Pujari resigned from the party and joined the BJD. NCP state chief Vijay Mahapatra left the party and joined the BJP. BJD MP Archana Nayak as well as one of the founding members of the party, Dilip Ray, joined the BJP.
In West Bengal, CPI(M) MP from Katwa, Abu Ayesh Mondal, joined the Congress after being expelled.
