Ex-BJP leader Suryakanta Patil makes 'ghar-wapasi' to Sharad Pawar's NCP

Mumbai, June 24 (IANS) Former scribe-turned-politician Suryakanta Jaywantrao Patil on Tuesday returned to the NCP(SP), 11 years after she had quit the undivided NCP to join the BJP in 2014.

An ex-Union minister, Patil, 75, was welcomed to the party fold by NCP(SP) President Sharad Pawar, state Chief Jayant Patil and other senior leaders.

Pawar and Patil extolled her leadership qualities and said that her return would boost the party’s prospects in Nanded, Hingoli, Parbhani, Beed and other districts.

On June 22, Patil abruptly quit the BJP ostensibly for being dropped as a Lok Sabha nominee following the party’s lacklustre performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Formerly with the Congress, and then the undivided NCP, Patil joined the BJP in 2014 and had sought a party ticket from Hingoli in 2024 but was denied a nomination as the seat went to the ruling ally Shiv Sena’s quota this time.

The Shiv Sena had fielded Baburao K Kohalikar, but he lost by over 1.08 lakh votes to the rival Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate, Nagesh B Patil-Ashtekar.

Political sources are optimistic that Patil’s entry to NCP(SP) could offset the departure of the former Congress strongman from Nanded, Ashok Chavan to the BJP, plus give an edge to the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections in October.