The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday named Jyotiraditya Scindia one of its Rajya Sabha candidates from Madhya Pradesh, ANI reported. Scindia had joined the BJP hours earlier, a day after quitting the Congress party.

The BJP also named its Rajya Sabha candidates for seven other states – Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Manipur, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

As many as 22 Madhya Pradesh Congress MLAs had resigned in support of Scindia on Tuesday, making the fall of the Kamal Nath-led government in the state seem imminent.

BJP leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan congratulated Scindia for being named the party’s Rajya Sabha candidate from the state. He also congratulated Harsh Singh Chouhan, the other BJP candidate for the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh.

Earlier in the day, Scindia thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for welcoming him “into their family”. He praised Modi, who he said had got the biggest mandate in history. “He improved the global image of India,” Scindia said. “India’s future is safe in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hands.”

“Congress is unable to serve the country...party is no longer what it used to be,” the four-time parliamentarian said. “Today’s Congress is living in denial.”