<p>In yet another round of induction, top leaders of the Congress and the NCP on Wednesday joined the BJP ahead of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections.</p>.<p>Veteran Congress leader and former minister Harshawardhan Patil and veteran NCP leader Ganesh Naik, once a close aide of NCP founder-president Sharad Pawar, joined the BJP on Wednesday.</p>.<p>Both have ministerial experience for over 15 years.</p>.<p>Along with Naik, 48 NCP corporators of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, also joined the BJP.</p>.<p>Both have been in touch with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP president and revenue minister Chandrakant Patil for some time.</p>.<p>Patil, a four-term MLA from Indapur constituency in Pune district, served as a minister in the erstwhile Shiv Sena-BJP government and the subsequent Congress-NCP Democratic Front government.</p>.<p>He was defeated in the 2014 Assembly polls in 2014 by NCP candidate Dattatray Barne.</p>.<p>NCP has refused to cede the Indapur seat to the Congress and hence he opted to join the BJP.</p>.<p>Naik’s son Sandeep had joined the BJP last month and his entry was on the cards since then.</p>.<p>Naik holds tremendous influence in Navi Mumbai and Raigad district, but lost the 2014 Assembly polls to the BJP candidate and former NCP party leader Manda Mhatre.</p>.<p>Naik had been a minister in the erstwhile Shiv Sena-BJP government and also the Congress-NCP government.</p>.<p>So far, six sitting Opposition MLAs— Shivendra Bhosale, Vaibhav Pichad, Sandip Naik, Ranajagjitsinh (NCP) and Kalidas Kolambar and Jaykumar Gore (Congress) have joined the BJP, besides several other former legislators and MPs.</p>
<p>In yet another round of induction, top leaders of the Congress and the NCP on Wednesday joined the BJP ahead of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections.</p>.<p>Veteran Congress leader and former minister Harshawardhan Patil and veteran NCP leader Ganesh Naik, once a close aide of NCP founder-president Sharad Pawar, joined the BJP on Wednesday.</p>.<p>Both have ministerial experience for over 15 years.</p>.<p>Along with Naik, 48 NCP corporators of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, also joined the BJP.</p>.<p>Both have been in touch with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP president and revenue minister Chandrakant Patil for some time.</p>.<p>Patil, a four-term MLA from Indapur constituency in Pune district, served as a minister in the erstwhile Shiv Sena-BJP government and the subsequent Congress-NCP Democratic Front government.</p>.<p>He was defeated in the 2014 Assembly polls in 2014 by NCP candidate Dattatray Barne.</p>.<p>NCP has refused to cede the Indapur seat to the Congress and hence he opted to join the BJP.</p>.<p>Naik’s son Sandeep had joined the BJP last month and his entry was on the cards since then.</p>.<p>Naik holds tremendous influence in Navi Mumbai and Raigad district, but lost the 2014 Assembly polls to the BJP candidate and former NCP party leader Manda Mhatre.</p>.<p>Naik had been a minister in the erstwhile Shiv Sena-BJP government and also the Congress-NCP government.</p>.<p>So far, six sitting Opposition MLAs— Shivendra Bhosale, Vaibhav Pichad, Sandip Naik, Ranajagjitsinh (NCP) and Kalidas Kolambar and Jaykumar Gore (Congress) have joined the BJP, besides several other former legislators and MPs.</p>
