BJP leader Harshavardhan Patil joins NCP (SP), admits "invisible support" for Supriya Sule in Lok Sabha elections

Patil quit the BJP on Friday after a meeting with his supporters and announced that he would join the NCP (SP) on Monday. He joined the party at a programme, in presence of Sharad Pawar and other leaders, including Supriya Sule and Jayant Patil on Monday.

After joining the NCP (SP), Patil revealed that he had provided "invisible support" to help Sule win the Baramati Lok Sabha seat.

During his address at the joining event, Patil said, "I am proud of Supriya Sule Tai (Sister), who has been elected four times as an MP. Of these four times, we supported her directly three times in some way, and the fourth time, we helped her indirectly. We had an invisible hand in her Lok Sabha victory."

Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar, during his address to party workers, indirectly declared Harshavardhan Patil's candidature for the Indapur seat in the upcoming assembly elections. Pawar said, "I urge the people to send Harshavardhan Patil to the Vidhan Sabha."

Pawar also said, "I have contested 14 elections. Out of those, Indapur taluka has voted in favor of the NCP seven times. Therefore, I don't need anything for myself. I want to change Maharashtra. He (Patil) wants to change the lives of people. The NCP (SP) is doing that work. If we want to bring about change in people's lives, we need experienced and hardworking people like Harshavardhan Patil in the state assembly."

Pawar added that Patil had told him he was willing to take on any assignment. "We don't need him if he was to be assigned any work. If it is difficult, if it is related to the people, and if it can change people's lives, then we need Harshvardhan for such work. If people want him to do such difficult work, they should send him to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly," he said.

In response to Harshavardhan Patil's shocking revelation, the BJP reacted strongly.

Maharashtra BJP's chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said, "I have heard Harshavardhan Patil say that during the Lok Sabha elections, he helped Supriya Sule invisibly. This statement will hamper the NCP (SP) itself because he couldn't be loyal to the party that gave him all the respect. In fact, while he was with Congress, he had political struggles with Sharad Pawar even from Shankar Rao Patil's (uncle) time, but he went with the NCP for power. Therefore, power and personal ambition had been more important to him, and in the coming days, the people will respond accordingly."

While leaving the BJP, Harshavardhan Patil told reporters on Friday that due to current seat adjustments, it appears the Indapur assembly seat will go to Ajit Pawar from Mahayuti, making it difficult for him to contest on that seat.

"After a detailed discussion with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and considering the sentiments of my supporters, I have decided to quit the BJP and join the NCP-SP," he said.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, amid a family feud over the seat, Supriya Sule won the prestigious Baramati seat against Ajit Pawar's wife, Sunetra Pawar, by a margin of over 1.5 lakh votes. (ANI)