R M Patel, Additional Chief Secretary (Panchayat) of Rural Housing, has served in the state for 18 years in various capacities and was to retire in December, sources said.
Patel's formal induction in the ruling party was announced today by state unit BJP vice-president Kaushik Patel here.
Though party sources said that Patel is likely to jump in the fray of Assembly polls, likely to be held in December, the bureaucrat said he had "no expectations" from the party.
"I don't have any expectation from the party (BJP). I will work as a party worker and do whatever is assigned to me," Patel said, adding that he was "impressed" by the state government's "functioning".
"Impressed by BJP's style of development politics, I am joining the party. I have seen the working of this government very closely during my tenure, and how the state has progressed," Patel told reporters.
Jhiluji Chavda, a retired district forest officer and brother of ex-Congress MLA C J Chavada, Congress general secretary of Scheduled Caste Cell Harsha Parmar and Congress Women Cell member Usha Patel also crossed over to BJP, Patel said.