Suresh Prabhu, Ajatshatru Singh join BJP

Signalling at a virtual end of ties between BJP and Shiv Sena at all levels, Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, who took oath as the Cabinet Minister today, quit the Sena membership and joined the BJP. He did so before taking oath as a Minister, it is learnt. Perhaps, that was the reason why Shiv Sena skipped the swearing-in and prevented Anil Desai from taking the oath.

Shiv Sena wanted two Cabinet ranks on its choice, but BJP had decided to give Cabinet rank to Prabhu and MoS rank to Anil Desai, who stayed at the airport and later returned to Mumbai. Lone Shiv Sena minister at the centre, Anant Geete may resign today to complete the formalities.

Suresh Prabhu, a Lok Sabha MP from Rajapur in Maharashtra, may quit his seat to get elected to Rajya Sabha on BJP ticket. He is an Indian Chartered Accountant & member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. During his stint at the Vajpayee government, he held various portfolios such as Industry, Environment and Forests, Fertilizers & Chemicals, Power, Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises.

Thanks to expertise in power related issues, the Narendra Modi government had appointed him as the head of a high-level panel on power revamp — Advisory Group for Integrated Development of Power, Coal and Renewable Energy. He may get the Railways portfolio, it is reported.

In another development, senior Congress leader Karan Singh’s son Ajatshatru Singh joined the BJP today. He was a Legislator of National Conference. Grandson of late Maharaja Hari Singh, the erstwhile ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, Ajatshatru is the Member of Legislative Council from Nagrota assembly constituency. The BJP has also taken back its its expelled senior leader Chaman Lal Gupta too boost its prospects in J&K polls.