The lone JD(U) MLA in Arunachal Pradesh, Techi Kaso, on Thursday officially joined the BJP along with his supporters in the presence of party president J P Nadda.
Several Zila Parishad presidents and members in Arunachal Pradesh also joined the BJP. Welcoming them into the party, Nadda in a tweet said the joining of Kaso and other leaders will further strengthen the organization.
"By discharging their role in the development of the state, all of the leaders will take the development journey of BJP to new heights," Nadda said.
With Kaso's joining, the BJP's strength in the 60-member House went up to 49. The JD(U), led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, had bagged seven of the 15 seats it had contested in the 2019 assembly elections and emerged as the second largest party in the state after the BJP, which had won 41 seats. However, on December 25, 2020, six of its MLAs joined the BJP.
The opposition Congress and BJP ally National People's Party (NPP) have four MLAs each, while there are three Independent legislators who also support the ruling party.
Meanwhile, several leaders from Telangana belonging to the TRS and the Congress joined BJP in the presence of the party's national general secretary Tarun Chugh.
