Maharashtra polls: Three more NCP leaders may return to Sharad Pawar

As the Maharashtra assembly elections approach, the number of NCP members desirous of switching back to the Sharad Pawar-led faction of the NCP are on the rise

MUMBAI: As the Maharashtra assembly elections approach, the number of NCP members desirous of switching back to the Sharad Pawar-led faction of the NCP are on the rise. Three more NCP leaders from western Maharashtra—Madha MLA Baban Shinde, former Daund MLA Ramesh Thorat and senior NCP leader Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar—are likely to join the NCP (SP) in the coming days.

Three more NCP leaders may return to Sharad Pawar

Shinde, a six-term MLA from the Madha assembly seat in Solapur, has already announced his retirement from electoral politics. “I met Pawar saheb to request him to give candidature to my son Ranjit,” he said after meeting Pawar on Friday. “I don’t know what decision he is going to take but if he chooses anyone else, Ranjit will contest as an independent candidate,” he added, making it clear that both were uninterested in continuing their association with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Shinde has met Pawar several times in the last few weeks.

Former MLA Ramesh Thorat is also likely to join the NCP (SP). Thorat, who chose to go with Ajit Pawar when the latter forged a split in the NCP last July, met Sharad Pawar on Saturday and expressed his desire to contest from his party. “I have been meeting people and asking them what to do and what not to do. They all want me to contest the assembly polls from the NCP (SP),” Thorat said in an interaction with Saam TV recently. “If I don’t get candidature from the NCP (SP), then they would prefer me to contest independently.”

Thorat was an MLA from the Daund constituency between 2009 and 2014. He won the polls as an independent candidate. He is likely to be pitted against two-term BJP MLA Rahul Kul, a close aide of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Senior NCP leader Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar also hinted at joining Sharad Pawar’s party while addressing a gathering of his supporters in Phaltan on Saturday. “I hurt Pawar saheb and left with Ajit Pawar. I felt bad but made that decision,” he said. “Whatever decision I take, I will take it while considering all of you. If my workers are not feeling secure despite being part of the government then I will have to think otherwise.”

This is the second time in a month that the former chairman of the legislative council has threatened to join the NCP (SP). Nimbalkar is not happy with the style of functioning of Ranjeetsinh Naik Nimbalkar, who was the BJP’s sitting MP from the Madha Lok Sabha constituency. Even before the Lok Sabha polls, he had announced that he would extend his support to the NCP (SP) candidate Dhairyasheel Mohite-Patil but later withdrew his decision.

Meanwhile, BJP leader and former minister Harshvardhan Patil is set to join the NCP (SP) on Monday. He is likely to be the party’s candidate from Indapur assembly constituency in Pune, which is one of the six assembly constituencies in the Baramati Lok Sabha seat. A seasoned politician, Patil is a sworn rival of Ajit Pawar who split from Sharad Pawar’s party last year to align with the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena coalition.