THE INDIAN EXPRESS ONLINE

As many as 23 Indian opposition politicians who crossed over to the BJP since the time it came to power in 2014 have got reprieve from federal agencies investigating corruption cases against them, The Indian Express reported yesterday. As many as 10 Congress leaders joined the BJP, followed by four each from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena, three from Trinamool Congress (TMC), two from Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and one each from Samajwadi Party (SP) and YSRCP, according to the newspaper. Two other opposition leaders joined the BJP and investigations continue against them: Former Congress MP Jyoti Mirdha and former TDP MP Y S Chowdary. As many as 23 politicians have seen a notable reduction in scrutiny upon their political switch, and as many as three cases have been closed, while 20 remain stagnant or inactive. Notably, six of these politicians joined the BJP just before the recent general elections. Most defectors switched their allegiance after the 2019 elections. For instance, in 2019, the Mumbai police registered an FIR against Ajit Pawar, Sharad Pawar and others, in a case of money laundering linked to alleged irregularities in Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank.