Setback for Congress as Rajiv Satav's wife Pradnya joins BJP ahead of Maharashtra civic polls

Pradnya, who resigned as MLC was the only woman Congress legislator in the Maharashtra Legislative Council.

Mumbai: In the biggest jolt to the Congress since the 2024 Vidhan Sabha polls in Maharashtra, Gandhi-family loyalist and strategist late Rajiv Satav’s wife Dr Pradnya Satav quit as an MLC and joined the BJP on Thursday. 

Pradnya, who hails from the Hingoli district, was reportedly upset with the party’s local leadership. 

While joining the BJP, she said she was inspired by the development agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

In the morning, Dr Pradnya met Legislative Council Chairman Prof Ram Shinde and resigned as an MLC. 

Thereafter, she drove to the BJP state headquarters, where she joined the saffron party in presence of its Maharashtra unit President Ravindra Chavan and his predecessor and state Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. 

Its is worth mentioning that Rajiv Satav was close to Congress leadership including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. 

Rajiv Satav, who was an MP from Hingoli from 2014-19 passed away in May. 

Rajeev Satav’s mother -- Rajani Satav -- was a Congress MLA from Kalamnuri in Parbhani district  and also served as a minister of state in the cabinet in the 1980s.

In fact, during the Modi-wave, Rajiv Satav was among the two MPs who won the Lok Sabha polls from Maharashtra having won from Hingoli and the other being former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan from Nanded, who a couple of years ago joined the BJP.

After Rajiv Satav's demise, Pradnya was made an MLC twice  - and till her resignation  she was  the only woman Congress legislator in the Maharashtra Legislative Council.

“My late husband, former MP Rajeev Satav, was a son of Hingoli. He worked tirelessly for the development of Hingoli. Our mother, Rajnitai Satav, devoted her entire life to the development of Hingoli. After Rajeev Satav’s death, I got the opportunity to work in the Legislative Council from 2021, and I received cooperation from everyone," Pradnya said. 

“I want to realise the Rajiv Satav’s dream of development of Hingoli under the leadership of Deva Bhau….the development of (PM’s motto) of sabka-saath, sabka-vikas, sabka-vishwas, sabka-prayas,” she said.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former state President Nana Patole said: “What has happened is not proper…we don’t know what she had been promised…what the BJP had offered.” 

The resignation also creates hurdles for the Congress, which is claiming the post of Leader of the Opposition in Legislative Council. 

As per the current strength in the Council, the Congress is the largest party on the Opposition benches with seven members, however, after Pradnya’s resignation, the grand old party’s number has been reduced to six.  

The Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) has six members after Ambadas Danve completed his term in August, while the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) has three members.