Bhopal, Oct 25 (IANS): With just a few days left for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly bypolls, Congress MLA Rahul Lodhi from Damoh on Sunday resigned from his Assembly membership and joined the BJP.

After submitting his resignation to Pro Tem Speaker Rameshwar Sharma, Lodhi reached BJP's state office and was inducted as its member in the presence of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, party state President Vishnu Dutt Sharma and Urban Administration Minister Bhupendra Singh.

However, the Pro Tem Speaker told the media that Lodhi had sought to resign two days ago but was asked to reconsider his decision. On Saturday, he reiterated his desire to resign and finally quit on Sunday.

Earlier this year, 22 Congress MLAs had resigned from their Assembly membership and joined the BJP under the leadership of Jyotiraditya Scindia, which led to the collapse of the then Kamal Nath-led Congress government.

Three more Congress MLAs later resigned from the Assembly. Now, the latest blow to the Congress has come with the resignation of Rahul Lodhi.

The Madhya Pradesh by-elections in 28 Assembly segments are slated for November 3.