Former BJP minister Deepak Joshi marries Congress leader:Pictures surface showing Sindoor ceremony at Arya Samaj temple

Madhya Pradesh former minister and son of late former Chief Minister Kailash Joshi, Deepak Joshi (63) has married Pallavi Raj Saxena, a former state secretary of the Congress party. Photos circulating online show Deepak applying sindoor to Pallavi’s forehead in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony, though Dainik Bhaskar has not independently verified these images. As per the information, the wedding took place at an Arya Samaj temple on December 4. Pallavi had initially shared the pictures on her social media account before deleting them. Congress leader Vrajendra Shukla shared the wedding pictures online and extended congratulations. Reports of previous marriages There are reports that Deepak Joshi was previously involved with two other women. Both cases even reached the courts. Prior to Pallavi, Namrata Joshi and Shikha Joshi (Mitra) claimed to be his wives.
Namrata claims she lives with Deepak Joshi, while Shikha asserts she married him in 2016. Deepak Joshi’s first wife, Vijaya Joshi, passed away during the second wave of COVID-19 in 2021. Political journey and shift to Congress Deepak Joshi won the Hatpipliya assembly seat in 2013 and became the Minister of School Education in the Madhya Pradesh government. However, he lost the 2018 election to Manoj Chaudhary, a Congress candidate supported by Jyotiraditya Scindia. In 2020, Scindia, along with 22 supporters, left the Congress and joined the BJP, including Chaudhary. Another six Congress legislators also resigned, leading to the fall of the Kamal Nath government and subsequent by-elections for all 28 seats. The BJP fielded the defecting Congress leaders as candidates. This political maneuvering marked a turning point in Deepak Joshi’s relationship with the BJP, leading to growing dissatisfaction. In 2023, he officially joined the Congress party. Personal tragedy deepens distance Following his wife Vijaya’s death in April 2021 due to COVID-19 complications, Deepak Joshi became less active politically. Both he and his son Jayvardhan tested positive during the second wave. The loss of his wife deeply affected him, and he remained largely inactive in 2021–2022. Anti-corruption stance and party discontent In December 2022, Deepak Joshi’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi went viral on social media. He alleged corruption worth crores in the Prime Minister Awas Yojana projects in Bagli’s three municipalities and demanded a high-level investigation. Despite complaints to senior BJP leaders and the Chief Minister, no action was taken. Frustrated, he threatened to take his fight to the streets in 2023, leading to further distancing from the party. Joining Congress on wife’s second death anniversary
As the 2023 elections approached, Deepak Joshi became active again in his constituency. On May 5, he paid tribute to his late wife on her second death anniversary via Facebook. The following day, he joined the Congress party at the party office with former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, marking his formal induction. Return to BJP
Deepak Joshi was appointed Congress state vice president and contested the Khategaon seat but lost to BJP candidate Ashish Sharma by 12,542 votes. A year and a half later, he rejoined the BJP at the Nandner constituency in Budhni in front of Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Political legacy of father Kailash Joshi Born on July 14, 1929, in Bagli, Devasa district, Kailash Joshi was first elected as a legislator from the Bagli Assembly seat in 1962 on a Bharatiya Jana Sangh ticket. He went on to serve as MLA eight times, twice as Lok Sabha member, and once as Rajya Sabha member. He briefly served as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh during 1977–78 and was regarded as a political “saint” in the state. He passed away on November 24, 2019.