Kerala BJP leader Sandeep Varier has quit the saffron party to join the Congress.
He has met with state opposition leader V.D. Satheesan and AICC secretary Deepa Das Munshi ahead of an official announcement by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee.
Why did Sandeep Varier quit BJP?
Sandeep Varier has been at loggerheads with the BJP state unit in connection with the Palakkad bypolls. This has reportedly led to the decision to leave the saffron party.
The issue came to the fore after he slammed BJP's Palakkad candidate C Krishnakumar on Facebook.
Earlier, reports suggested that Sandip was joining CPI(M). Interestingly, CPI(M) leader A.K. Balan invited Sandeep to join the ruling party in the state. However, Sandip himself denied these rumours.
The Congress reportedly accepted Sandeep's entry two days ago but had been waiting for the confirmation from the High Command.
The Palakkad bypolls are scheduled to be held on November 20. This comes after P. Sarin left the Congress ahead of the bypolls.