Political Shifts Begin: BJP's Harshvardhan Patil Eyes NCP-SP Alliance

On Thursday, speculation was rife in political circles that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Harshvardhan Patil is likely to join the Nationalist Congress Party-Samajwadi Party (NCP-SP) alliance. As reported by Hindustan Times, Patil made this decision after a meeting with NCP leader Sharad Pawar at his residence in Mumbai. Further reinforcing the likelihood of the switch, Patil removed references to the BJP from his social media profiles. While he has not disclosed the details yet, Patil is expected to make an official announcement on Friday.

If confirmed, Patil would become the second prominent BJP leader from western Maharashtra to join the NCP-SP alliance. Last month, BJP leader Raje Samarjeetsinh Ghatge from Kolhapur also switched to the NCP-SP and is expected to contest from the Kagal assembly constituency.

Harshvardhan Patil, if he formally joins, is likely to be fielded as the NCP-SP candidate for the Indapur assembly constituency in Pune. Indapur is one of the six assembly constituencies that fall under the Baramati Lok Sabha seat. Notably, in the recent Lok Sabha elections, NCP-SP candidate Supriya Sule had a lead of 25,951 votes in the Indapur segment over her opponent Sunetra Pawar, the wife of Ajit Pawar.

Patil, a long-time political rival of Ajit Pawar, has strong ambitions tied to the Indapur seat, which he represented four times before losing to NCP's Dattatraya Bharne in both the 2014 and 2019 elections.

Patil's political career has been eventful. He served as a minister in the Shiv Sena-BJP government from 1995 to 1999 before switching to the Congress. During his time in Congress, he held various ministerial positions in successive governments. In 2014, Patil contested the state Assembly elections on a Congress ticket but switched to the BJP by 2019. He supported Supriya Sule's Lok Sabha candidature that year, hoping for NCP's backing in his bid for the Indapur seat. However, when the NCP once again fielded Bharne, Patil joined the BJP.

Although Bharne narrowly defeated Patil, the political dynamics shifted in 2023 after the NCP split, with Bharne aligning himself with the Ajit Pawar faction.

Commenting on the developments, BJP minister Girish Mahajan said, "Patil is facing challenges in Indapur. The current MLA, Dattatraya Bharne, is with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, and Patil believes Bharne will secure the election ticket. This has upset him, though he does not hold any grievances against Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis."

Meanwhile, another former BJP MLA, Bapusaheb Pathare, has already rejoined the NCP-SP and is expected to contest from Pune's Vadgaon Sheri constituency. He is likely to face the current NCP MLA Sunil Tingre, who is embroiled in a controversy over the recent Porsche crash case in Pune.

Additionally, senior BJP leader Madhukar Pichad is reportedly in talks with Sharad Pawar and is keen to return to the NCP-SP fold along with his son, Vaibhav Pichad. The elder Pichad, once a close aide of Pawar, was a seven-term MLA from the Akole constituency in Ahmednagar district, while Vaibhav served one term before losing to undivided NCP candidate Kiran Lahamte in 2019.

As the election season approaches, more such political shifts are anticipated, with both the BJP and NCP-SP gearing up for what promises to be an intense contest.