Big blow to NCP as Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil joins BJP

Mumbai, Mar 20: In a setback to Sharad Pawar's NCP in Maharashtra, former party MP Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil joined the BJP in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Ranjitsinh, son of senior NCP leader Vijaysinh Mohite Patil, joined the BJP in presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Vijaysinh Mohite Patil is NCP's Lok Sabha member from Madha constituency and a former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra.

Ranjitsinh, who was a Rajya Sabha MP of the NCP, said he was disappointed with the top NCP leadership. This is a second setback to the Congress-NCP combine, after Sujay Vikhe Patil, the son of Maharashtra leader of opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, joined the BJP recently.

There is speculation that Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil tendered his resignation as leader of opposition to Congress president Rahul Gandhi on moral grounds.

PTI