Harshwardhan Patil, BJP leader and aspirant from the Indapur Assembly Constituency in Pune, met NCP SP party chief Sharad Pawar at his Mumbai residence. He is likely to join NCP SP on October 6 or October 7. However, BJP leader and Cabinet Minister Chandrakant Patil remarked that leaders who realize they won't be fielded again are switching parties.
Harshwardhan Patil informed the media, "Pawar urged me to join his party and contest the assembly elections. He said he would get me elected." But BJP Minister Chandrakant Patil countered, "Harshwardhan will regret his decision after the assembly election. When we win with a high margin and he returns for readmission into the party, our top leaders will decide whether to take him back or not," said Chandrakant Patil.
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Harshwardhan Patil has been in politics for the last three decades. In 1995, he won the election as an independent candidate. He contested elections again in 1999 and 2004. In 2009, he joined Congress and contested the election, but lost in 2014 because Congress and NCP fought the elections independently, and Patil was defeated by NCP MLA Dattatray Bharne. In 2019, when Congress and NCP contested jointly, Bharne was selected as the candidate from the MVA alliance. As a result, Harshwardhan joined BJP but again lost the election. Now, he has decided to contest the 2024 Assembly elections from the Indapur constituency of Pune on an NCP SP ticket. Patil was disappointed when Ajit Pawar declared Dattatray Bharne's name from Indapur as the Mahayuti candidate.
Moreover, NCP SP office bearers and workers from Indapur have requested Sharad Pawar not to induct Patil into the party, urging him to select one of their own and ensure victory. Pravin Mane, head of Sonai Milk Company, and Appasaheb Jagdale of NCP SP are also keen to contest the election from Indapur under the NCP SP banner. Now, it will be interesting to see whether Pawar includes Patil, ignoring the requests of party workers.
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