<p>Mumbai: Reeling under a big crisis after the humiliating defeat in the 2024 Assembly polls in Maharashtra, the Congress is hit by defection. </p><p>The Pune district seems to be the worst-affected. </p><p>Between 2019-2024, the BJP succeeded in splitting the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar-led NCP, however, the Congress ranks and files were intact. </p>.Shashikant Shinde takes over as new Maharashtra unit chief of NCP (SP) .<p>Uddhav Thackeray now heads the Shiv Sena (UBT) while Sharad Pawar commands NCP (SP) - which too are facing defection at the ground level. </p><p>In the past few months half a dozen senior leaders including those from political families have switched sides and joined other parties mainly BJP and its allies Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, the two main regional parties in the state. </p><p>The latest crossover was on Wednesday when former Congress MLA Sanjay Jagtap, who had represented Purandar in Pune district, moved to BJP. </p><p>A few days ago, in Dhule, former MLA Kunal Patil, son of staunch Congressman Rohidas Patil joined BJP. </p><p>In Pune district, three-time Bhor MLA Sangram Thopte, son of another staunch Congressman and ex-minister Anantrao Thopte joined BJP claiming that the Congress did not reward him with any of the assured post. </p><p>Senior Congress leader Jayashree Patil too joined the BJP. She is granddaughter-in-law of former Chief Minister Vasantdada Patil. She is also the sister-in-law of Vishal Patil, the sitting independent MP, who contested the Lok Sabha polls as an Independent and later supported the Congress.<br>Former Kasba Peth MLA Ravindra Dhangekar left the Congress to join the Shiv Sena. </p><p>Before the Vidhan Sabha polls, Zeeshan Siddique left Congress to join the NCP - months after his father late Baba Siddique left and joined Ajit Pawar. </p><p>The switchovers have come as a major blow to the Congress in the run up to the local bodies polls in Maharashtra. </p><p>From 1999-2014, the Congress and NCP together ran the Democratic Front government, followed by the BJP-Shiv Sena government from 2014-19.</p><p>After the 2019 Vidhan Sabha polls, Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray crafted the Maha Vikas Aghadi and came to power. In the polls, the Shiv Sena won 57 seats and NCP 53. The Congress won 44 seats - and the group was considered vulnerable. </p><p>However, months after the split in Shiv Sena and NCP, the Congress was intact and before Lok Sabha polls former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan left to join the BJP and former union minister Milind Deora, the Shiv Sena.</p><p>The Lok Sabha results came as a boost for the Congress, which won 13 of the 48 seats and emerged as No 1 party, however, in Assembly polls, it could manage just 16 seats of the total 288 seats. </p>
<p>Mumbai: Reeling under a big crisis after the humiliating defeat in the 2024 Assembly polls in Maharashtra, the Congress is hit by defection. </p><p>The Pune district seems to be the worst-affected. </p><p>Between 2019-2024, the BJP succeeded in splitting the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar-led NCP, however, the Congress ranks and files were intact. </p>.Shashikant Shinde takes over as new Maharashtra unit chief of NCP (SP) .<p>Uddhav Thackeray now heads the Shiv Sena (UBT) while Sharad Pawar commands NCP (SP) - which too are facing defection at the ground level. </p><p>In the past few months half a dozen senior leaders including those from political families have switched sides and joined other parties mainly BJP and its allies Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, the two main regional parties in the state. </p><p>The latest crossover was on Wednesday when former Congress MLA Sanjay Jagtap, who had represented Purandar in Pune district, moved to BJP. </p><p>A few days ago, in Dhule, former MLA Kunal Patil, son of staunch Congressman Rohidas Patil joined BJP. </p><p>In Pune district, three-time Bhor MLA Sangram Thopte, son of another staunch Congressman and ex-minister Anantrao Thopte joined BJP claiming that the Congress did not reward him with any of the assured post. </p><p>Senior Congress leader Jayashree Patil too joined the BJP. She is granddaughter-in-law of former Chief Minister Vasantdada Patil. She is also the sister-in-law of Vishal Patil, the sitting independent MP, who contested the Lok Sabha polls as an Independent and later supported the Congress.<br>Former Kasba Peth MLA Ravindra Dhangekar left the Congress to join the Shiv Sena. </p><p>Before the Vidhan Sabha polls, Zeeshan Siddique left Congress to join the NCP - months after his father late Baba Siddique left and joined Ajit Pawar. </p><p>The switchovers have come as a major blow to the Congress in the run up to the local bodies polls in Maharashtra. </p><p>From 1999-2014, the Congress and NCP together ran the Democratic Front government, followed by the BJP-Shiv Sena government from 2014-19.</p><p>After the 2019 Vidhan Sabha polls, Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray crafted the Maha Vikas Aghadi and came to power. In the polls, the Shiv Sena won 57 seats and NCP 53. The Congress won 44 seats - and the group was considered vulnerable. </p><p>However, months after the split in Shiv Sena and NCP, the Congress was intact and before Lok Sabha polls former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan left to join the BJP and former union minister Milind Deora, the Shiv Sena.</p><p>The Lok Sabha results came as a boost for the Congress, which won 13 of the 48 seats and emerged as No 1 party, however, in Assembly polls, it could manage just 16 seats of the total 288 seats. </p>