In a setback to the ruling Congress-NCP alliance, several of its senior leaders, including NCP’s former Union Minister of State, Suryakanta Patil, late SB Chavan’s son-in-law and former MP Bhaskaro Patil-Khatgaonkar, joined the BJP in presence of party’s national president Amit Shah at the Shanmukhananda here on Thursday evening.
Apart from Suryankanta Patil and Patil-Khatgaonkar, NCP’s former State Minister Babarao Pachpute and former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan’s arch rival Dr Madhav Kinalkar also joined the BJP at a party workers’ meeting.
While Suryakanta Patil, considered once very close to NCP chief Sharad Pawar, had criticised him recently, and given enough hints about her plans to join the BJP, Patil-Khatgaonkar was upset with the Congress leadership and his brother-in-law Ashok Chavan for the manner he came to be denied ticket to contest the recent lok Sabha polls from Nanded constituency.
Ashok Chavan contested the elections and won. Similarly Pachpute had a running feud with NCP’s deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, while Kinalkar had put Ashok Chavan in the dock by making a complaint against the latter in the paid news case.