Kochi | Victor T Thomas, who quit from Kerala Congress party and the Congress-led UDF last week, joined the BJP on Sunday in the presence of party state in-charge Prakash Javadekar.
Thomas was the chairman of UDF in the Pathanamthitta district and also the district president of Kerala Congress.
His exit is another blow to the Joseph faction of Kerala Congress as its two other leaders Johnny Nelloor, a former MLA, and V V Augustine recently left the party to float their own political outfit -- National Progressive Party.
However, unlike them, Thomas quit the Kerala Congress and the UDF to join the BJP on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the southern state.
Thomas was welcomed into the saffron party at the Ernakulam district office of the BJP by Javadekar and its Kerala unit president K Surendran.
After joining the BJP, the former UDF leader slammed the alliance saying many there were not working sincerely and were not even competent to be part of it. A lot of UDF members were more interested in pulling down their colleagues, he alleged.
He also praised the work of the BJP-led Central government and Modi and said that only the saffron party can ensure a comprehensive development in the State.
Javadekar welcomed Thomas into the party and said that recent events were "an indication of the shape of things to come to Kerala".
He also accused the LDF and UDF of not working for the development of the State and that is why everyone, even the world, was "looking up to" Modi.
The senior BJP leader said that there will be "many more surprises" in Kerala in coming days.
Surendran said that Thomas was a well known figure in Kerala politics and he left the UDF and Kerala Congress as he was attracted to the saffron party and its developmental policies.
