With an aim to contest the 2028 assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Dhaldas Saheb, the elder brother of a minister in the current BJP government in the state, Guru Khushwant Saheb, has joined the Opposition Congress.

Both Dhaldas and Khushwant are leaders of the Satnami community.

Dhaldas joined the Congress on Friday in the presence of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

Story continues below.
Subscribe to see fewer ads.

In a welcome post for Dhaldas on social media, Baghel said, “A start has been made. Together, we will remove the BJP.”

Soon after joining the Congress, Dhaldas told the media he intends to contest the 2028 Assembly elections if the party decides to field him.

However, Dhaldas, while speaking to , made it clear that he will not fight an election against his brother. “I want to contest elections from Mungeli and will enter the fray from Arang only if Khushwant is not contesting from the seat.”

Khuswant represents Arang constituency.

‘Our ancestors were part of Congress’

Dhaldas said he belonged to the lineage of Baba Guru Ghasidas, founder of the Satnam Panth.

Story continues below this ad

When asked why he decided to enter politics, Dhaldas said, “Our family has been part of politics since the pre-Independence period. I chose Congress because it is an old party and our ancestors were a part of the party and many people’s heroes like Jawaharlal Nehru have been a part of it.”

Khushwant, who was earlier with the Congress, had jumped ship when he was denied a ticket to contest the 2023 Assembly polls. He got a ticket from Arang seat in Raipur district from then opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and won the elections after which he was made a minister.

The Satnami community represents the largest Scheduled Castes (SC) group in Chhattisgarh and constitutes over 10% of the state’s population. The 14-member Chhattisgarh cabinet has two ministers from the SC community, including Khushwant and Dayaldas Baghel.

Another cousin of Dhaldas, former MLA Guru Rudra Kumar from the Congress, was made a minister in 2018 but lost the 2023 elections.

Story continues below this ad

Dhaldas said he has three brothers and a sister. His sister earlier served as chairperson of the Tilda-Nevra municipality, while his other brother, Guru Sourabh Saheb, is the chairperson of the Raipur Zilla Panchayat.