Nana Patole, who resigned from the BJP and as an MP of Bhandara-Gondia constituency in Maharashtra last month, said on Thursday that he would join the Congress in the coming days.
Mr. Patole told reporters here that he called on Congress president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Wednesday.
“I met Rahul Gandhi yesterday along with Ashok Chavan [Maharashtra Congress president], Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil [Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly] and Sanjay Nirupam [Mumbai Congress president]. We discussed the current tense situation in Maharashtra and how the BJP government at the Centre and in the State is trying to divide people on caste lines. The country and the State are burning since the BJP came to power,” he said.
Asked whether he was officially joining the Congress, Mr. Patole said he had been a man with Congress ideology since the very beginning.
“The Congress has always taken lead to protect the country whenever we faced troubles. The announcement about it [official entry into the Congress] would be made in the coming days,” he maintained.
The by-election
Asked whether he would contest the by-election from the Bhandara-Gondia constituency, Mr. Patole said, “There is a possibility that some other BJP leader may replace Devendra Fadnavis as Maharashtra Chief Minister. In that situation, Mr. Fadnavis will go to Delhi and he might contest this by-election. If he decides to contest, then I will definitely contest against him. There is also a possibility that the BJP might give the ticket to Praful Patel [NCP leader]. I will contest against Mr. Patel as well. Other than these two leaders, if anyone else contests from the BJP side, I will make my follower contest the election.”
