Mumbai: In a major blow to Opposition unity in Maharashtra, three MLAs from the NCP and one from the Congress joined the ruling BJP today, a day after they tendered their resignations from the Legislative Assembly.
The BJP might field the four in the Assembly elections due later this year, depending on how the seat-sharing deal between the BJP and ally Shiv Sena shapes up, sources in the saffron party said.
The three NCP MLAs who switched their loyalties are Shivendraraje Bhosale from Satara, Sandeep Naik from Airoli in Navi Mumbai, and Vaibhav Pichad from Akole in Ahmednagar district. The lone Congress MLA is Kalidas Kolambkar from Wadala in Mumbai.
The MLAs joined the ruling party in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP unit president Chandrakant Patil this morning.
Vaibhav Pichad’s father and former State Tribal Development Minister Madhukar Pichad, also attended the function.
The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has been hit by a string of desertions with many party leaders either joining the BJP or the Shiv Sena.
The MLAs and other leaders who quit the Congress and the NCP have taken the stand that they were joining the BJP or Sena to ensure development of their constituencies.
In the 2014 elections, the BJP won 122 seats and the Shiv Sena 63. The Congress and the NCP had won 42 and 41 seats, respectively.