Former Maharashtra minister and BJP veteran Madhavrao Kinhalkar joined the Sharad Pawar camp on Saturday, days after many functionaries of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP switched their allegiance to NCP (SP), which turned tables on rivals in recent Lok Sabha polls.
In an indication of the changing political scenario in the state ahead of assembly elections, MLA Atul Benke, a member of the Ajit Pawar camp, met Pawar senior at Shirur MP Amol Kolhe's residence in Pune earlier in the day.
Recently, senior NCP leader and minister Chhagan Bhujbal had called on Sharad Pawar at his residence in Pune ostensibly seeking the veteran politician's intervention in dousing the quota fire triggered by OBC-Maratha tussle.
Kinhalkar, who comes from Marathwada region, is the second prominent leader of BJP from Nanded to join the NCP (SP) after ex-Union Minister Suryakanta Patil who had also quit the saffron party to join the Sharad Pawar camp.
Notably, Kinhalkar had earlier served as an MLA of Bhokar, which was until recently represented by former chief minister Ashok Chavan before he switched over to the BJP.
The cross-overs come against the backdrop of the spectacular performance of opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi in recent Lok Sabha polls apparently at the expense of the ruling Mahayuti, especially BJP.
Sharad Pawar, who a year ago struggled to keep the flock together after Ajit Pawar engineered a split in NCP, eventually emerged stronger with the NCP (SP) bagging 8 of 10 constituencies in parliamentary polls.
Kinhalkar cited the "changed character" of the BJP as the reason behind jumping the ship and accused the saffron party of "rashtradroh".
"There is a big difference between the BJP I had joined and the BJP I am seeing today. They talk of nationalism, they talk about the people's issues, they also talk of irrigation, but their actions promote rashtradroh (treason), not rashtrahita," said Kinhalkar while addressing an NCP (SP) rally in Pimpri-Chinchwad city which was attended by Sharad Pawar, Baramati MP Supriya Sule, and other senior leaders.
Kinhalkar had served as the home minister when Pawar was chief minister of Maharashtra.
State NCP (SP) president Jayant Patil alleged that 25 leaders from opposition parties facing corruption charges have joined the BJP, and investigation against 23 of them facing graft charges is abated.
"'Better to join the BJP than going to prison' is now the common slogan of the corrupt in Maharashtra," Patil said and accused the Mahayuti government of turning Maharashtra "into the number 1 state for corruption in the country".
Sule alleged she had heard MPs in Parliament talking about their (BJP's) plan to change the Constitution after winning 400 seats in Lok Sabha polls.
"This is my accusation against the BJP. I heard MPs saying the constitution will be changed after bagging 400 seats. This is not a false narrative. You have heard it, the media has heard it," claimed Sule as she appealed to voters to restore Maharashtra's self-esteem and pride in the upcoming assembly elections.
Bhokar assembly constituency, earlier represented by Kinhalkar, is part of the Nanded Lok Sabha constituency, wrested by the MVA from the BJP with Congress' Vasantrao Chavan defeating sitting MP Prataprao Chikhalikar by 60,000 votes in recent elections.
With Suryakanta Patil and Kinhalkar on its side, the NCP (SP) is looking forward to strengthening the party's prospects in the Marathwada region, the epicentre of Maratha quota agitation, especially in Nanded, Hingoli, Parbhani, and Beed districts.
The Vijay Sankalp Melava was strategically organised in Pimpri Chinchwad, considered a stronghold of Ajit Pawar when he was part of the undivided NCP.
Kinhalkar's entry into the NCP (SP) comes a day ahead of the BJP convention scheduled to be held in Pune which will be addressed by Union Minister Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari.
In a jolt to Ajit, 28 functionaries from Pune district, including the Pimpri-Chinchwad unit's city president and two former corporators, quit the NCP led by him on Wednesday and joined the Sharad Pawar-led faction.
Meanwhile, Junnar MLA Benke, who belongs to the Ajit Pawar-led camp, told reporters after meeting Sharad Pawar that "anything can happen in politics".
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
