Though reports are yet to be confirmed, Maski's Congress MLA Pratap Gowda Patil is said to have shown an inclination to join the BJP.

He has remained incommunicado since Thursday morning. 

According to sources close to the MLA, the fact that he is not reachable on the phone is true and his stance (support) will be made known by 6 pm on Thursday. 

Pratap Gowda Patil was the BJP MLA in 2008 for the first time and later joined Yeddyurappa's KJP. In 2013, instead of merging with BJP again along with Yeddyurappa, he joined the Congress camp. He was a Congress MLA in 2013 and is now in 2018. 

Patil, who has scored a hat trick, entered politics as an MLC. He was introduced to politics by Manohar Maski and MLA Sriramulu. It is learnt that the same duo --Sriramulu and Manohar Maski--has set out to woo Pratap Gowda Patil back into the BJP.