Heir of erstwhile Bastar royals joins BJP in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: The 'prince' of the erstwhile royal family of Bastar in southern Chhattisgarh, Kamal Chandra Bhanjdeo, today joined BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Raman Singh.

The heir of the third generation of the last Kakatiya ruler of Bastar, Pravir Chandra Bhanjdeo, Kamal Chandra entered politics with his supporters at a formal ceremony in the evening at BJP's state office, 'Ekatm Parisar'.

The CM welcomed Kamal Chandra into BJP and claimed that Bastar's royal family had always worked for the betterment of the tribals in the region with Pravir Chandra having "sacrificed" his life for their sake.

"Presently, we have won 11 of the 12 Assembly seats in Bastar. With Kamal joining the party, we hope to do a lot better," he said.

In his address, Kamal Chandra praised the BJP government for its developmental work.

"I am impressed with its ideology and the work done by the party," he said.

Meanwhile, the great grandson of freedom fighter Gaind Singh from Bastar, Devendra Singh, also joined BJP.

Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh are slated to be held by the end of the year.