Former Maharashtra Minister Harshvardhan Patil Joins BJP

Former Maharashtra Minister Harshavardhan Patil.

(Photo Courtesy: Facebook/HarshvardhanPatilSpeaks)

Former Maharashtra Minister and Congress leader Harshavardhan Patil joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday, 11 September.

Patil joined the BJP at an event in south Mumbai in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who said he was waiting for the former minister to join the same since the last five years.

"People are attracted to BJP due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision," Fadnavis said.

The four-time MLA from Indapur in Pune district had lost the 2014 Assembly elections by a slender margin to the NCPs Dattatrey Bharne. The Congress and NCP had contested those elections separately.

He had supported NCP MP Supriya Sule to ensure her victory from the Baramati Lok Sabha seat this year in the hope that the Sharad Pawar-led party would back his candidacy in the upcoming Assembly polls from Indapur, a segment of the Baramati Lok Sabha seat.

At Wednesday's event, Patil was accompanied by his daughter Ankita, a member of Pune Zilla Parishad and his son Rajvardhan.

Patil served as minister of state for agriculture and marketing in the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance government during the 1995-99.

Patil won the 1995 Assembly election as an independent candidate. He served as minister during the Congress-NCP alliance government from 1999 to 2014.

He joined the Congress in 2009 and was the Cooperation and Parliamentary affairs portfolios.

Fadnavis indicated that Patil will be BJP's candidate from Indapur Assembly seat in next month's election.