Lok Sabha elections 2024: Dhairyasheel Mohite Patil joins NCP (SP), declared party candidate for Madha LS seat

Pic/X@NCPspeaks

Dhairyasheel Mohite Patil, who resigned from the BJP earlier this week, joined the NCP (SP) on Sunday and was declared as the Sharad Pawar-led outfit's candidate for Madha Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra's Solapur district, reported news agency PTI.

Mohite Patil will file his nomination on April 16, said NCP (SP) state president Jayant Patil, reported PTI.

The former BJP district general secretary is the nephew of Vijaysinh Mohite Patil, an influential leader from Solapur district.

An induction ceremony was held at Dhairyasheel Mohite Patil's home in Akluj of Solapur district after his switch to NCP (SP).

"Today we declare Dhairyasheel Mohite Patil as our 10th nominee for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. He will be our official candidate for the Madha seat and will file his nomination on April 16," said Jayant Patil during the induction, reported PTI.

The BJP has renominated sitting MP Ranjit Naik-Nimbalkar in Madha.

After joining NCP (SP), Mohite Patil said, "With due respect to the people of Solapur, I have decided to join the NCP (SP). I tendered my resignation on April 11 but till date nobody from the BJP contacted me. I will work hard for the people of Solapur and Madha," reported PTI.

Earlier in the day, Pawar had visited the residence of Vijaysinh Mohite Patil.

Elections to Maharashtra's 48 Lok Sabha seats will be held in five phases between April 19 and May 20 and votes will be counted on June 4.

Madha will go to polls in the fourth phase on May 13.

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar on Sunday said that the fight for Baramati Lok Sabha seat is not about relationships but about ideologies, reported PTI.

She is pitted against three time sitting MP Supriya Sule, who is NCP founder Sharad Pawar's daughter and Ajit Pawar's cousin.

"This election is not about relationships but about ideologies," she told reporters after paying tribute to Babasaheb Ambedkar on his 133rd birth anniversary, reported PTI.

She said she was getting good response from the people of Baramati, a bastion of the Pawars that has been represented several times as MP by Sharad Pawar and as MLA by Ajit Pawar, reported PTI.

"I used to earlier ask votes for others but this time it is for myself. This is a different kind of responsibility," she added.

(With inputs from PTI)