MP: Former BJP MLA Shekhawat says he is "not" joining Congress

Indore: Former Madhya Pradesh BJP MLA Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat on Friday refuted speculation that he would join the Congress saying he had not received any invite from the opposition party and nor had he been contacted by its state unit chief Kamal Nath.

The 72-year-old BJP leader from Malwa, however, added he will "think it over" if the Congress invited him to join the party.

"I have not received any invitation from the Congress yet. If I get it in the coming days, I will think about it. I will do whatever is good for me," Shekhawat, who was MLA for two terms, told PTI.

Meanwhile, BJP city unit chief Gaurav Randive and his colleague and Indore Development Authority (IDA) chairman Jaipal Singh Chavda met Shekhawat at his office.

The BJP leader called the meeting routine, while Randive told PTI it was a courtesy call.

Incidentally, the BJP media department released a photograph of the meeting with a statement quoting Shekhawat as saying that "the BJP city president is standing with me".

"Neither I have said I am leaving the BJP nor has (MP Congress president) Kamal Nath contacted me," the former MLA is quoted as saying.

The MP Assembly polls are to be held at the end of the year and the BJP released its first list of 39 candidates on Thursday.