Several Opposition bigwigs, including from NCP, to likely to join BJP on Sunday

Names of several NCP leaders such as chairman of the legislative Council Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar, former minister Padmasinh Patil and his legislator son Rana Jagjitsingh Patil, party’s Satara MP Udayanraje Bhosale and former NCP MP Dhananjay Mahadik are doing the rounds.

Several bigwigs from the Opposition, especially the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), are likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday. Former chief minister Narayan Rane, who quit the Congress earlier and floated his regional outfit, Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh, also is likely to formally join the BJP and merge his party with it on the same day.

The second phase of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’ Mahajanadesh Yatra will conclude in Solapur on Sunday. (Photo by Sunny Shende/ HT)

The second phase of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’ Mahajanadesh Yatra will conclude in Solapur on Sunday, in the presence of BJP leader and Union home minister Amit Shah. It is likely that the BJP will use this occasion to induct several Opposition leaders. Ahead of the first phase of the yatra, three sitting NCP legislators and one Congress legislator had joined the party besides other leaders.

Names of several NCP leaders such as chairman of the legislative Council Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar, former minister Padmasinh Patil and his legislator son Rana Jagjitsingh Patil, party’s Satara MP Udayanraje Bhosale and former NCP MP Dhananjay Mahadik are doing the rounds. Congress legislator Jaykumar Gore who was a close aide of former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan too is in talks with the BJP. Senior Congress leader Harshvardhan Patil too was reportedly in touch with Fadnavis, although there is no confirmation on his moving to the BJP. Former minister Sidhdharam Mhetre (Congress) is also among those who could cross over to the BJP. “We had earlier planned an induction immediately after the first phase, but it got postponed due to the floods. There will be one or two more such inductions,” said a senior BJP functionary.

Rane told mediapersons that he would formally join the BJP. “Whatever you said is true,” he replied when a reporter asked him if he was joining the BJP. His close aides say the BJP top brass has assured party tickets for his son, MLA Nitesh and former MP Nilesh, in the coming elections.

The CM will start the third and final phase of his yatra after Ganesh festivities.

Meanwhile, NCP’s legislator from Shrivardhan in Raigad district Avdhut Tatkare, the nephew of NCP Raigad MP Sunil Tatkare, could be on his way to the Shiv Sena. He met Sena chief on Thursday afternoon and later said that he will announce his decision in a couple of days. If Tatkare joins the Sena, the party will consolidate its grip on Raigad in Konkan. The Sena has consecutively won the Srivardhan Assembly seat in 3 elections between 1995 and 2004, and even a by-poll in 2006. However, Sunil Tatkare won the seat in 2009 and Avdhut bagged it in 2014. Earlier, there were speculations that Sunil Tatkare could join the Sena; however, he denied it. Another leader from the NCP, Bhaskar Jadhav, could be poached by the Sena.