Another blow to BJP in Maharashtra: Rajendra Patni's son Gyayak joins Sharad Pawar's NCP
The move comes ahead of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections and signals growing discontent within the BJP's ranks.
- Oct 27, 2024,
- Updated Oct 27, 2024 4:05 PM IST
In a setback for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Maharashtra, Gyayak Patni, son of late BJP MLA Rajendra Patni from Karanja, joined the Sharad Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday. The move comes ahead of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections and signals growing discontent within the BJP's ranks.
Rajendra Patni, a prominent leader from the Vidarbha region, represented the Karanja constituency in the Washim district and passed away in February 2024 at the age of 59. His son, Gyayak Patni, made the shift to NCP (Sharad Pawar) during a ceremony in Mumbai, accompanied by several BJP leaders from Washim and members from the local Zilla Parishad and panchayat samiti. He was welcomed into the party by NCP president Sharad Pawar, state president Jayant Patil, and working president Supriya Sule.
Expressing his disappointment with the BJP's internal workings, Patni said, “We have seen how the BJP, at the last minute, made hasty decisions without taking any of us into confidence. They betrayed Patni saheb and disregarded the work he dedicated himself to.”
Sharad Pawar underscored the significance of the upcoming Assembly elections, urging members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition to work in unison. “Winning these elections is incredibly important to bring meaningful change in Maharashtra. Every single member of the MVA must work honestly towards our victory,” Pawar said.
This defection is the latest in a series of high-profile exits from the BJP. On October 7, former BJP leader Harshvardhan Patil joined Sharad Pawar’s NCP, citing disagreements over the party's decision to allocate the Indapur seat to the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP.
Earlier this week, Sandeep Naik, a former BJP MLA, resigned from the party and joined Sharad Pawar's party. He has been nominated from the Belapur constituency, where the BJP has re-nominated its sitting MLA, Manda Mhatre. Notably, Naik’s father, Ganesh Naik, a senior BJP leader with considerable influence in Navi Mumbai, will contest from the Airoli seat.
Former Maharashtra minister Rajendra Shingne also rejoined Sharad Pawar’s NCP recently, marking his return after briefly supporting the Ajit Pawar faction, which is aligned with the ruling coalition. Shingne, a five-time MLA from Sindkhedraja, had joined Ajit Pawar’s camp last year.
In a setback for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Maharashtra, Gyayak Patni, son of late BJP MLA Rajendra Patni from Karanja, joined the Sharad Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday. The move comes ahead of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections and signals growing discontent within the BJP's ranks.
Rajendra Patni, a prominent leader from the Vidarbha region, represented the Karanja constituency in the Washim district and passed away in February 2024 at the age of 59. His son, Gyayak Patni, made the shift to NCP (Sharad Pawar) during a ceremony in Mumbai, accompanied by several BJP leaders from Washim and members from the local Zilla Parishad and panchayat samiti. He was welcomed into the party by NCP president Sharad Pawar, state president Jayant Patil, and working president Supriya Sule.
Expressing his disappointment with the BJP's internal workings, Patni said, “We have seen how the BJP, at the last minute, made hasty decisions without taking any of us into confidence. They betrayed Patni saheb and disregarded the work he dedicated himself to.”
Sharad Pawar underscored the significance of the upcoming Assembly elections, urging members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition to work in unison. “Winning these elections is incredibly important to bring meaningful change in Maharashtra. Every single member of the MVA must work honestly towards our victory,” Pawar said.
This defection is the latest in a series of high-profile exits from the BJP. On October 7, former BJP leader Harshvardhan Patil joined Sharad Pawar’s NCP, citing disagreements over the party's decision to allocate the Indapur seat to the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP.
Earlier this week, Sandeep Naik, a former BJP MLA, resigned from the party and joined Sharad Pawar's party. He has been nominated from the Belapur constituency, where the BJP has re-nominated its sitting MLA, Manda Mhatre. Notably, Naik’s father, Ganesh Naik, a senior BJP leader with considerable influence in Navi Mumbai, will contest from the Airoli seat.
Former Maharashtra minister Rajendra Shingne also rejoined Sharad Pawar’s NCP recently, marking his return after briefly supporting the Ajit Pawar faction, which is aligned with the ruling coalition. Shingne, a five-time MLA from Sindkhedraja, had joined Ajit Pawar’s camp last year.