Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | Harshvardhan Patil to join Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) on October 7

Mumbai: After bidding goodbye to the BJP last week, veteran politician and cooperative sector baron Harshvardhan Patil, will formally join the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) on Monday.

The 61-year-old Patil will join the NCP (SP) in presence of Sharad Pawar in his home turf Indapur in Pune district. 

Patil is the President of the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF) - a post that he secured upon joining BJP after leaving Congress. 

A four-time MLA, Patil is expected to contest the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly polls from Indapur against two-time MLA Shrirang Barne, who is a close aide of NCP President and Deputy Chief Minister.

The political rivalry between Patil and Ajit Pawar is a known fact.

In fact, Indapur neighbours Baramati, the bastion of the Pawar family. 

Sharad Pawar and his daughter and Baramati MP Supriya Sule, who is the NCP (SP) Working President has welcomed Patil whole-heartedly saying that the relationship of the two families goes back several decades. 

"I heartily welcome Harshvardhan Patil's decision to join NCP (SP),” state NCP President Jayant Patil said, adding that the function would be held at 10:00 hours on Monday. 

Patil was keen on contesting the Indapur seat and had conveyed it to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who calls the shots for the BJP. However, Ajit Pawar went ahead and declared that Bharne, who had won the elections in 2014 and 2019 from the undivided  NCP, would contest the 2024 polls.

Patil had won the elections from Indapur in 1995, 1999 and 2004 as an Independent and in 2009 from the Congress. 

After he joined the BJP in 2019, Patil famously said that he gets "sound sleep" as there are "no inquiries”.

Patil lost the 2014 and 2019 polls to Bharne, while being in Congress and BJP, respectively.