Gandhinagar, Jul 11 (IANS): Kheda District Cooperative Bank's former chairman Dhirubhai Chavda, Congress district committee president Rajesh Zala, former MLA Gautam Chauhan and other leaders from Kheda district have joined the BJP.

Chavda after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party said, "the Congress party has evaporated from the minds of people, since the last 27 years the BJP is serving and developing the state, it has made space in the hearts of people."

Rajesh Zala said that he is impressed with the style of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home and Cooperative Minister Amit Shah, which inspired him to join the BJP.

Chhotaudepur's sitting president Umesh Shah had joined the BJP last week.

Before joining the BJP, speaking to IANS last week, Rajesh Zala had said that, "In the Congress even being the district committee president I did not have freedom to run the show. Kapadvanj sitting MLA Kalusinh Dabhi was interfering in everything, he controls the party functioning in the district, which compelled me to think of quitting the party."

Refuting these allegations, the party's vice president and Kheda Lok Sabha seat in-charge Bhikhabhai Rabari said these are vague accusations to join the BJP.

Kheda district is dominated by the Other Backward Classes, and the upper class Leuva Patidars. With OBC leaders joining the BJP, it will be a setback for the Congress till it finds suitable options, said sources from the Congress.