Shivraj Patil’s daughter-in-law meets Fadnavis, likely to join BJP

Archana Patil Chakurkar, daughter-in-law of senior Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, met Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis on Friday. She is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Mumbai on Saturday. The party on Wednesday released more candidate names for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, with names released for Maharashtra and Karnataka. Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra will be held in five phases on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20. The counting of votes will be held on June 4. The state, with its 48 Lok Sabha seats, is the second-largest contributor to the lower house of Parliament after Uttar Pradesh. Known for its political diversity and significant electoral influence, Maharashtra plays a crucial role in shaping national politics. In the 2019 elections, the BJP emerged as the largest party with 23 seats, followed by the Shiv Sena with 18 seats.