Expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh has been appointed leader of a group of Independent MPs in the Lok Sabha called ‘Lok Morcha’ that may evolve into a political party at a later date.

Former Union Minister and MP from Banka, Digvijay Singh; former Jharkhand Assembly Speaker and Chatra MP Inder Singh Namdhari and Maharashtra MP representing the Hatkanangle seat, Raju Shetti, are learnt to have agreed to appoint Jaswant Singh as the leader of their parliamentary forum. Tarun Mandal, an Independent MP from Jaynagar, West Bengal, is expected join the group.

Namdhari was a prominent leader of the BJP from Bokaro in Jharkhand before he drifted away from the party. Shetti heads a group called Swabhimani Paksha in Maharashtra and has fielded candidates in 14-odd seats in the coming Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Digvijay Singh, a former JD (U) leader known for his networking skills, especially among Thakur leaders, is learnt to have got in touch with Jaswant immediately after his expulsion from the BJP and asked him to join the group. While Jaswant was not available for comment, Digvijay Singh confirmed to The Sunday Express that the MPs had “appointed” Jaswant as their leader in the Lok Sabha. “We will soon meet the Lok Sabha Speaker with a request to formally recognise the group in the House,” he said. Shetti said that the group will meet in Delhi after Diwali.

The Lok Morcha fashions itself as a pressure group that will highlight the failures of the UPA and the Opposition NDA. Its members hope that Jaswant’s son, Manvendra Singh, would join them. Jaswant had said no one from his family was associated with the BJP, but Manvendra had told a senior BJP office-bearer that “he was very much with the party”. Incidentally, the Lok Morcha’s first meeting was held in Mumbai on August 12 -13, when Jaswant was still in BJP.