Deepak Joshi, the son of former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and the late BJP stalwart Kailash Joshi, rejoined the party on Thursday in the presence of Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, during a campaign event for the Budhni bypolls.

In May 2023, Joshi left the BJP and joined the Congress in the presence of former CM Kamal Nath, in what was seen as a blow to the ruling party. It is learnt that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had pulled up the state leadership over the departure, which prompted him to personally take over the reins of the campaign.

Joshi had turned up at the Congress headquarters with a portrait of his late father, and alleged that the BJP government did not construct a memorial in his honour. He had also aired his discontent over being sidelined from the party, which at the time had former CM Chouhan at the helm in the state.

BJP sources said Joshi tried to rejoin the party several months ago, but Chouhan “put the brakes on the plan”. The BJP had also come up with an announcement that former leaders who contested against the party are not welcome back into its fold.

Joshi, BJP leaders said, is however the first leader to return to the BJP – but only after Chouhan gave the green signal.

“During the assembly elections, Joshi had made a lot of personal comments against Chouhan. For months, he has been speaking to senior BJP leaders, including the state BJP president. But it took Chouhan’s nod for Joshi to be able to rejoin the party – a signal that a Brahmin face and the son of a veteran BJP member be allowed to return. However, he no longer has the same heft in state politics,” said a senior BJP leader.

BJP spokesperson Narendra Saluja said, “Out of the 335-member Madhya Pradesh Congress executive, seven resignations have already taken place. Today, Deepak Joshi, a supporter of Kamal Nath and a special invitee in the state executive of the Congress, also bid farewell to the party. Now, 327 members remain, with over 250 reportedly unhappy. Kamal Nath’s supporters are continuing to leave.”

Sources in the Congress too claimed Joshi “had been making efforts to move back to the BJP”.

“In the recent organisational rejig, he was given the post of a special invitee as well. But he was unhappy with the new Congress setup after Kamal Nath left and Jitu Patwari took over,” said a Congress leader.

Congress spokesperson Mukesh Nayak refused to comment on Joshi’s exit.

Joshi made his entry into politics when he won the Assembly polls for the first time from Bagli in Dewas district in 2003, and later successfully contested twice from his family’s hometown Hatpipliya in 2008 and 2013. He was inducted into Chouhan’s cabinet following a third successive victory and remained its member till 2018.

He lost the Assembly election in 2018 from Hatpiplya to Congress candidate Manoj Choudhary, who went on to join the BJP in 2020 and won again from Hatpiplya in a subsequent bypoll. In the 2023 elections, Joshi was fielded by the Congress from Khategaon, which is far from his home base. This saw protests from the local Congress leaders, who waved black flags in his face. He subsequently lost the elections owing to lack of unity in the Congress.