Former Telangana minister Eatala Rajender joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in Delhi on Monday, two days after resigning from the state Assembly.

Rajender was inducted into the BJP by Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The minister was confident that the saffron party will win the next Assembly elections in Telangana, PTI reported.

Rajender had been sacked from the Telangana Cabinet in April, after firms owned by his family were accused of grabbing government land, The Times of India reported. He had held finance and health portfolios in Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s government.

The former Telangana minister had denied the accusations and claimed they were attempts to tarnish his reputation, India Today reported.

Rajender, one of the founding members of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, represented the Huzurabad Assembly constituency. His resignation has necessitated a bye-election, which is likely to take place in the next few months, according to The Times of India.

The former minister was once considered a close aide to Rao. But, there were speculations of a rift between the two because of Rao’s son and minister KT Rama Rao being promoted to the top of the party, The Hindu reported.