Like son, like father? Veteran leaders, too, might join BJP

Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil; (right) Vijaysinh Mohite Patil

If their sons have sprinted to the Bharatiya Janta Party camp, can the fathers be far behind? This is what is being said about disgruntled Maratha leaders Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil (Congress) and Vijaysinh Mohite Patil (Nationalist Congress Party), who are expected to step into their sons' shoes in coming days.

Vikhe Patil's move

Vikhe Patil's son Sujay joined the BJP amid high drama and was fielded as the party's nominee from Ahmednagar, where the party replaced its sitting MP, Dilip Gandhi. Sujay wanted the Congress to field him, but the NCP, which has this seat, refused to let go of its claim. Since then, the senior Vikhe Patil was upset and has been campaigning for his son. The NCP has lodged a complaint against him for breaching the alliance dharma. Vikhe Patil told media persons some days ago that he will make a move that will rock political circles.

Mohite Patil being wooed

In the Mohite Patil family, the unrest against NCP boss Sharad Pawar has caused a shift. Since Pawar withdrew his name from the race and wanted to replace Vijaysinh, a sitting MP from Madha, Mohite Patil's son Ranjitsinh made an early exit to join the BJP. The BJP did not field Ranjitsinh from Madha, but effected yet another coup by drafting a Congress leader, Ranjeetsinh Naik Nimbalkar to contest in Madha, which Pawar represented 10 years ago. A local leader who built his image with the help of the BJP, Sanjay Shinde, is the NCP's candidate from Madha.

The tit-for-tat continues here with BJP wooing the senior Mohite Patil.

Vikhe Patil's spokesperson denied any move. Mohite Patil was unavailable for comment.

But a source said Vikhe Patil was expected to join the BJP at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Ahmednagar on April 12. Mohite Patil's entry is scheduled for April 16, the day the PM will address a public meeting at Akluj, said a BJP leader.

In yet another induction that is expected to give BJP a boost in Madha, a Congress leader from Pandharpur, Kalyan Kale, made the ruling party his new home. Kale has a strong vote base in the segment that he can transfer to BJP.

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