Former BJP MP Shishupal Patle likely to join Congress

Former MP Shishupal Patle, who resigned from BJP last month, is set to join Congress soon. Patle, from Bhandara, is expected to contest in the state assembly polls.

Mumbai: Former Member of Parliament Shishupal Patle, who resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last month, citing the party’s disregard for the plight of farmers and unemployment in youths, is likely to join the Congress party in soon.

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Patle is said to be in touch with the state Congress leadership and is likely to be inducted into the party in the coming days, confirmed a source. The 57-year-old politician comes from Bhandara district in Vidarbha and is likely to be fielded in the upcoming state assembly polls, said a Congress insider.

His exit is being seen as a jolt to the ruling party in the backdrop of the Lok Sabha elections in which Congress won the Bhandara-Gondia seat from the BJP. The Congress candidate Prashant Padole defeated BJP MP Sunil Mendhe by over 37,000 votes.

“He is positive about joining Congress and if all goes according to the plan he will join it in the next two days,” said a senior Congress leader wishing anonymity. “We are planning to field him from the Tirora assembly constituency and he will also win the elections,” he added.

On July 25, Patle declared leaving the BJP and resigned from the primary membership of the party. Since he is in talks with Congress leadership, the party insiders said.

Patle comes from the Powar community that falls under the Nomadic Tribe category. They have a significant population in the assembly constituency as well as the Bhandara district.

Patle had become a giant killer after defeating the then union minister of state for civil aviation (independent charge) Praful Patel in the Lok Sabha elections held in 2004. In 2009, he, however, failed to win the seat for the second time.

Before him, former BJP MP and union minister Suryakanta Patil left the BJP and joined NCP (SP) on June 25. The Marathwada leader left the undivided NCP back in 2014 to join the BJP. She was said to be upset after the BJP denied her candidature from the Hingoli Lok Sabha seat in the recently held general elections.