In a major setback for the opposition parties in Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Namita Mundada along with Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) leader Gopichand Padalkar and Congress MLA Kashiram Pawara joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The two opposition leaders – Gopichand Padalkar and Kashiram Pawara - shifted their loyalties on Monday in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP President Chandrakant Patil while Namita Mundada was inducted in the saffron party in Beed district in the presence of Pankaja Munde.
Recently, NCP named Mundada in its first list of candidates for the Maharashtra assembly elections. Despite this, the NCP leader joined BJP on Monday. Moreover, Padalkar contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on NCP ticket from Sangli but had to face defeat.
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BJP is likely to field Padalkar against NCP leader Ajit Pawar from Baramati assembly constituency. Earlier, VBA co-founder Laxman Mane had left the party expressing disappointment over the induction of Padalkar.