Senior BJP leaders said Joshi has neither rejoined the party nor holds even primary membership, despite appearances at public events and past claims suggesting otherwise. The clarification came after political discussions resurfaced following Joshi’s marriage on December 4 to Pallavi Raj Saxena, a former state secretary of the Mahila Congress.
Dewas BJP district president Rai Singh Sendhav said the party has not completed any formal process to induct Joshi. “He is not even a basic member of the BJP at present. Being welcomed symbolically at a public programme does not amount to rejoining the party,” Sendhav said.
Joshi, the son of former chief minister Kailash Joshi, quit the BJP on May 6, 2023, and joined the Congress in Bhopal, walking to the party office with his father’s photograph and launching a sharp attack on the BJP-led state government. He later contested the 2023 Assembly election from Khategaon in Dewas district on a Congress ticket but lost to BJP candidate Ashish Sharma by 12,542 votes.
After the defeat, Joshi publicly claimed a return to the BJP during the Budhni Assembly by-election, making the announcement from a stage shared with former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. However, BJP leaders say no approval was ever granted.
State BJP general secretary Bhagwandas Sabnani confirmed that Joshi’s rejoining was never formalised. Party sources said Joshi was expected to return on March 11 last year during the Lok Sabha elections, but the plan was dropped due to lack of consensus among senior leaders.
Despite repeated speculation and public appearances, the BJP has now made it clear that Deepak Joshi currently holds no official position or membership in the party, leaving his political future uncertain.
