Sujay Vikhe Patil now BJP member

As expected, Sujay Vikhe Patil defected to the BJP on Tuesday, after the Congress failed to convince the NCP to let him contest for the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat. As mid-day had reported yesterday, Sujay's father Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Congress stalwart and Opposition leader in the Assembly, had requested the party high command to ask ally NCP to facilitate his son's candidature from Ahmednagar. However, the NCP refused to entertain the Vikhe Patils.

Sujay was left with no option but to make the BJP his new abode at a grand function at MCA Pavilion, Wankhede Stadium. The BJP declared that Sujay would be fielded from Ahmednagar, replacing sitting MP Dilip Gandhi.

After he was inducted in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and medical education minister Girish Mahajan, the new entrant said his decision was taken against his father's wishes. "But I will always be with the people who have stood by me. I will work to expand the BJP's base in Ahmednagar," said Sujay. Fadnavis said, "Now Ahmednagar will become our forte. We will retain both seats [including Shirdi] in the district."

BJP eying another scion?
Several eyebrows were raised on spotting Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil, son of Vijaysinh Mohite Patil, NCP's sitting MP from Madha, at BJP minister Girish Mahajan's residence yesterday.

The former Rajya Sabha MP is said be in touch with the BJP because there are chances of his father getting replaced by former bureaucrat Prabhakar Deshmukh in Madha, from where NCP boss Sharad Pawar withdrew his candidature on Monday. Ranjitsinh's father may not rebel against his long-time leader, but the son is prepared to defect to the BJP, said a leader in Solapur district.

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