In another jolt to Congress-NCP in Maharashtra, Ranjitsinh Mohite-Patil, son of senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former DY chief Minister, Vijaysinh Mohite Patil has decided to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Ranjitsinh is slated to join BJP on Wednesday in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis.
As the Lok Sabha election is fast approaching, the internal politics within each political party has started gradually unfolding. The internecine rivalry within the Nationalist Congress Party also lays exposed to this decision with the rift between Sharad Pawar, the NCP supremo and the Mohite-Patil clans, over the Madha Lok Sabha constituency, reaching a flashpoint on Tuesday.
Talking to Times Now, Mohite-Patil said that the father-son duo is ‘disappointed’ with NCP. “My father had initiated an irrigation project in our area when my father was deputy chief minister, but nothing was done. We have had disappointment from top NCP leadership. CM Fadnavisji has assured me with support and I am joining them,” Ranjitsinh Mohite-Patil said during the interview.
It is also being believed that Ranjitsinh is reportedly upset over the party’s delay in announcing the candidate for Madha constituency from where he is keen to contest. Notably, Vijaysinh Mohite Patil, father of Ranjitsinh is an MLA from Madha constituency.
Interestingly, if BJP fields Ranjitsinh from Madha constituency, and the NCP chooses to retain its sitting MP and his father Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil, it could witness an unprecedented father-son electoral contest in the state.
This decision may turn out to be brutal for the Congress-NCP alliance in Maharashtra, where NCP chief Sharad Pawar has already declared that he won’t be contesting the general elections.
Mohite-Patil, however, added that the NCP chief’s decision to not contest Lok Sabha poll 2019, was ‘not linked’ to his decision to join the BJP. “Can’t say that Sharad Pawar decided not to contest elections because of us joining BJP,” he said.
This decision might be considered to be the second significant loss the Congress-NCP tie-up, which recently lost Sujay Vikhe-Patil, the son of Maharashtra Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil to the BJP.
The NCP has also been dealing with its internal family crisis as three people from the Pawar family declaring to contest the elections. Parth Ajit Pawar had announced that he would be a contender for Maval Lok Sabha seat. On the other hand, NCP President Sharad Pawar had indicated his plans to contest from Madha. This would have meant three persons from the Pawar family, namely, Supriya Sule-Pawar, Parth and Shard Pawar himself, contesting. So, Pawar quietly withdrew from the race and averted a major crisis within the party, which enjoys the national party status.
Botherations seem to be coming after Rahul Gandhi who is trying his level best to take on BJP in every possible way ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Whether that involves stitching up opportunistic and unholy alliances or spreading lies or concocting narratives, he is leaving no stone unturned. However, recently things have not been falling in place for him.
Congress had been fighting several issues like in-house defections with many of its workers deserting the party and crossing over to other rival parties, internal party conflicts, alliances walking out on him, leaving his mahagatbandhan dream half-baked.
Now, when the, whatever left-over alliances of the Congress Party, also seem to be in trouble, one wonders what future in stores for the grand old party.
