The BJP on Monday accorded a grand reception to the 10 Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) MLAs who have joined the saffron party earlier this month in New Delhi.
The MLAs switching sides propelled the BJP to the status of the main opposition in a state where it had not won a single seat in the recent assembly polls.
"We expect that these MLAs will work with dedication to make our party a strong outfit in Sikkim," state BJP president D B Chauhan said at the reception at Singtam, about 25 kilometre from here.
The 10 legislators include former minister D T Lepcha, once a trusted aide of the former chief minister and SDF president Pawan Kumar Chamling.
"We joined the BJP voluntarily to serve the people of Sikkim. We were encouraged by our voters to join the BJP to serve the people in a better way," Lepcha, a former minister, said.
The 10 legislators met BJP working president J P Nadda and joined the party on August 13 in the presence of its general secretary Ram Madhav, who is in charge of the party's affairs in the northeast.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content