Maharashtra assembly elections: Congress, NCP leaders join Shiv Sena, BJP in big numbers

MUMBAI: Maharashtra, which has traditionally been a bastion of the Congress and has voted the Congress-NCP coalition to power in three consecutive assembly elections since 1999, is witnessing a new trend. Several leaders from these two parties are leaving to join either the Shiv Sena or the BJP, an indication that the ruling partnership may be in trouble ahead of the assembly polls.

The Congress party’s debacle in the LS polls and dispute with the NCP over seats have created an atmosphere of uncertainty for party members, who seem unsure about their prospects in the state polls due by October. Added to this, the saffron alliance appears aggressive after its electoral victory.

Some left the ruling alliance even before the LS polls. In Sangli, which is in the heart of the sugar belt of south Maharashtra, Sanjay Patil quit NCP to contest the polls on a BJP ticket and won. The Congress party had never lost this seat since Independence. Congressmen say this has emboldened other leaders to follow Patil.

Ram Pandagale, a former Mumbai MLA of the Congress who was known as a staunch loyalist of the Gandhi family, has quit. He crossed over to the Shiv Sena on Wednesday. Babanrao Pachpute, a senior NCP leader and a two-time minister, is on the verge of quitting the party.

Deepak Kesarkar, an NCP MLA from Sawantwadi in the Konkan region, joined the Shiv Sena last week. Kesarkar, who had serious disputes with Congress leader Narayan Rane, announced that there was no scope of working with the Congress.