Mumbai, March 14: Amid talk of a few Congress legislators and office-bearers planning a move to the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Praniti Shinde, Congress MLA from Solapur district and the daughter of former Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, on Thursday put at rest all speculation of her joining the BJP.

"The Congress is in my blood and I will continue to be in the party,’’ she said. The Congress may likely field Praniti from the Solapur reserved Lok Sabha seat against the BJP. Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress Finalises Names of 40 Candidates, Including Rahul Gandhi, for LS Polls.

Praniti, who is currently accompanying party MP Rahul Gandhi in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Maharashtra, accused the BJP of running a rumour-mongering campaign against her that she will desert the Congress to join it. ‘’BJP is carrying out a rumour-mongering campaign that I will be their candidate from the Solapur constituency in the Lok Sabha elections. However, the Congress party is in my blood. My father is also in the Congress party,’’ she said.

A three-time member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from the Solapur City Central Constituency, Praniti took a swipe at the BJP saying "I do not fear the Enforcement Directorate (referring to action initiated against a couple of opposition leaders). I do not own any industry or organisation. Good that my father has not ventured into it. Therefore, I will continue to speak against the BJP.’’ Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Gaurav Gogoi, Nakul Nath and Vaibhav Gehlot on Congress Second List of Candidates.

An invitee to the Congress party’s Central Working Committee, Praniti said that she was the lone Congress legislator in Solapur as the rest of the legislators are from the BJP. Unfortunately, BJP legislators do not utter a word against the government so I will continue to raise the issues faced by the citizens. ‘At present, there is a government which is functioning in a dictatorial manner and therefore the legislators are scared to speak against it, she commented.

Praniti’s clarification came days after her father and Congress party veteran Sushilkumar Shinde had said that both he and his daughter had received offers to join the BJP even as the Maharashtra BJP refuted Shinde’s claims. The BJP offered me and Praniti to shift to their side despite losing the Lok Sabha elections twice in 2014 and 2019.

"How can this happen? We have grown in the lap of our mother (Congress). At this age, how can I join another party?’’ he added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 14, 2024 07:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).