MUMBAI: Factionalism within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress is the root cause for their leaders switching over to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the leaders have said as three prominent leaders from Western Maharashtra and Marathwada joined BJP in presence of union home minister Amit Shah at Solapur on Sunday.
Former NCP MP from Kolhapur said that leaders from his own party as well as the ally didn’t help him in 2019 Lok Sabha elections which forced him to rethink on his politics.
“It was as if one is left midway,” Mahadik said adding that, “The work done by PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah is overwhelming. The BJP is doing the work and hence the people are with the BJP. We are just following the people.”
Mahadik had been accused of closeness with the BJP ever since 2004 when he became MP for the first time. His closeness with the Pawar family won him candidature in 2009. But, during latest Lok Sabha polls the opposite faction didn’t even let him speak at campaign rallies.
The case of Jaykumar Gore, MLA from Man in Satara district too is not different. He was close to former CM Prithviraj Chavan and senior Congress leader Patangrao Kadam.
“However, that didn’t help me to get work in my constituency done. I realized that the projects were purposefully being blocked. The same projects when cleared by Fadnavis government without me having to follow up on them I realized that they are working for the real benefit to the people and that is how I drifted away,” Gore said.
The case is not much different in case of Osmanabad-Kalam MLA RanaJagjeetsingh Patil. He happens to be son of NCP leader Ajit Pawar’s sister. He was also a junior minister in the state government before 2014. However, the family relations and influence couldn’t help him win Lok Sabha polls earlier this year, when his cousin OmRaje Nimbalkar won against him on Shiv Sena ticket. Rana’s father Padmasingh Patil is a prime accuse in murder case of Omraje’s father Pawanraje. The hanging sword of action in the case and prospects of having to lose the assembly seat has forced Patil to join the BJP. However, he said that he was joining the BJP to pursue the development agenda. He also blamed the factionalism within the NCP for his defeat in Lok Sabha election.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra BJP chief Raosaheb Danve said that four opposition MLAs who had met him in order to the join the BJP have been asked to wait.
Other party sources said that some other inductions too are likely to be made in days to come. Some of them would be made in presence of PM Narendra Modi in about a week’s time.