Chhattisgarh BJP Minister's brother Guru Dhaldas Saheb joins Congress

Guru Dhaldas Saheb, a prominent figure from the Satnami community and elder sibling of BJP MLA Guru Khushwant Saheb, announced his entry into the Indian National Congress on September 11, 2026. The ceremony took place at former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel’s official residence, where Baghel publicly welcomed Dhaldas and pledged to work together to challenge the ruling BJP.

The Satnami community, which accounts for roughly 13% of Chhattisgarh’s population and is the state’s largest Scheduled Caste group, has long been a decisive electoral bloc. Dhaldas, whose family traces its lineage to Baba Guru Ghasidas, the 19th‑century founder of the Satnam Panth, cited ideological divergence with the BJP, claiming the party no longer follows Ghasidas’s principles. He indicated a willingness to contest the 2028 Assembly elections, naming the SC‑reserved Mungeli constituency as his preferred seat, while also leaving open the possibility of standing from Arang if his brother is not fielded by the BJP.

The family’s political trajectory shifted in 2023 when their father, Guru Baldas Saheb, and both brothers left the Congress for the BJP ahead of that year’s state assembly polls, with Khushwant winning the Arang seat. Their defection now reverses that trend, prompting Congress state president Deepak Baij to suggest that more BJP leaders may follow suit. Analysts note that the realignment could reshape caste dynamics and affect the BJP’s electoral calculus in the lead‑up to the 2028 polls.