Political shake-up in Maharashtra: BJP leader joins NCP ahead of elections

In a big move in Maharashtra politics, a key leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in western Maharashtra, Dhairyasheel Mohite-Patil, has left the party. He has joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar. This change comes just before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Dhairyasheel has now become the NCP candidate for the Madha Lok Sabha constituency, where he will face BJP's sitting MP Ranjeetsinh Naik Nimbalkar.

Political shifts and strongholds

Dhairyasheel, who is the nephew of former Deputy Chief Minister Vijaysingh Mohite-Patil and cousin of BJP legislator Ranjitsinh Mohite-Patil, made this move official at an event with NCP's state president Jayant Patil. He also raised questions about the Bhima-Cauvery river project, targeting the current BJP MP Ranjitsinh Nimbalkar.

Sharad Pawar, the veteran leader of NCP, has been strategizing to fortify his party's position in Maharashtra. He recently held discussions with Vijaysingh Mohite Patil and senior Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde regarding the Madha and Solapur Lok Sabha constituencies respectively. The shift of Dhairyasheel to the NCP is seen as a boost to the Mahavikas Aghadi, the coalition in power in Maharashtra.

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Madha constituency dynamics

Madha is a significant constituency, won by Sharad Pawar himself in 2009. However, this time he has reserved his traditional Baramati seat for his daughter Supriya Sule. The constituency saw Vijaysinh Mohite Patil as its MP in 2014 on the NCP ticket, despite the Modi wave. However, after 2019, Mohite shifted allegiance to the BJP. With Dhairyasheel now with the NCP, it adds to the competition in this constituency which has four assembly segments in Solapur and two in Satara.

In a series of political moves and shifts, the battle for Madha Lok Sabha seat has intensified. With Dhairyasheel Mohite-Patil switching sides from BJP to NCP, Sharad Pawar is strengthening his party's position in western Maharashtra. This change sets the stage for a closely watched contest between the NCP and BJP in the upcoming elections.

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