TNI Bureau: Just ahead of the Gujarat polls, the BJP has managed to score chink in the armour of the Congress Party. Chandrakant Pithawala, renowned businessman from Surat is the latest Congress leader to join the BJP.

Earlier, Gandhinagar Mayor Mahendrasinh Rana had defected to the BJP along with many councillors. Also, three former IPS officers – KD Patadia, BK Shrimali and BD Vaghela have joined the BJP earlier this week.

The Congress received a major jolt, as two Muslim corporators in Junagadh Municipal Corporation, Shehnaz Qureshi and Razak Mahida defected to the BJP. In another development, KD Jeswani, Vice President of Keshubhai Patel’s Gujarat Parivartan Party, has joined the BJP.