Former Uttarakhand Congress president Kishore Upadhyay, who was expelled from the party for six years for anti-party activities, joined the BJP ahead of the state assembly polls.

Kishore joined the BJP in the presence of Union minister and the party's election in-charge for Uttarakhand, Pralhad Joshi and other senior leaders.

Upadhyay was earlier removed from all party positions as a disciplinary action after he met BJP leaders here, including the party's election in-charge for Uttarakhand Pralhad Joshi.

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) in a letter on January 26 had written: "Since you had been indulging in anti-party activities despite several warnings, so you are hereby expelled from the primary membership of Congress party for six years with immediate effect."

A former MLA who had won the Tehri assembly constituency in 2002 and 2007, Upadhyay was the president of the Congress' Uttarakhand unit from 2014 to 2017. He had met the BJP's election in-charge for Uttarakhand Pralhad Joshi during the latter's visit to the state earlier this month.

According to media reports, the BJP which has not yet announced its candidate for Tehri may field Upadhyay from there which he had won in 2002 and 2007.

Assembly polls in Uttarakhand will be held on February 14.