Gyayak Patni, son of the late Rajendra Patni, a former BJP MLA, has joined the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). This development follows the BJP’s decision to field Sai Dahake from Rajendra Patni’s Karanja Lad constituency in Washim district, Vidarbha region. The NCP (SP) on Sunday announced Gyayak Patni as their candidate from the constituency.

Gyayak joined the NCP (SP) in the presence of party president Sharad Pawar, state president Jayant Patil, and working president Supriya Sule, in Mumbai along with supporters on Saturday. Patni was accompanied by BJP leaders from the Washim district and members of Karanja’s zilla parishad and panchayat samiti.

Expressing his dissatisfaction with the BJP, Gyayak Patni criticised the party’s last-minute decisions, stating, “We have seen how the BJP, at the last minute, made hasty decisions without taking any of us into confidence. They betrayed Patni saheb and disregarded the work he dedicated himself to”, as quoted by Indian Express.

Sharad Pawar, addressing the gathering, highlighted the significance of the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. He urged the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) members to work together to secure a victory. “We have to work hard to bring about a transformation in Maharashtra. For that, winning these elections is incredibly important. Every single member of the MVA will need to work honestly towards our victory,” said Pawar. He also expressed satisfaction over Gyayak’s decision to continue his father’s legacy through the NCP (SP).

According to Indian Express, Jayant Patil praised the contributions of Rajendra Patni to Karanja and Maharashtra, criticising the BJP for neglecting his son, whom he described as “a promising young leader.” Patil mentioned his attempts to reach out to Gyayak Patni, revealing, “The BJP is overconfident. Because of this, they are committing injustice against their workers. This overconfidence will be the BJP’s downfall in the assembly elections.”

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Maharashtra Election 2024: NCP (SP)’s Third List Of Candidates

NCP (SP) also released its third list of candidates for the Maharashtra Assembly elections, comprising nine candidates. The list includes:

1. Karanja – Gyayak Patni
2. Hinganghat – Atul Vandile
3. Hingna – Ramesh Bang
4. Anushaktinagar – Fahad Ahmed
5. Chinchwad – Rahul Kalate
6. Bhosari – Ajit Gawhane
7. Majalgaon – Mohan Bajirao Jagtap 
8. Parli – Rajesahab Deshmukh 
9. Mohol – Siddhi Ramesh Kadam

Earlier, on 26 October, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP had released its second list of 22 candidates, including MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar from Beed and Sunita Charoskar from Dindori in Nashik district, who will contest against the assembly’s deputy speaker, Narhari Zirwal, a candidate fielded by the Ajit Pawar faction of NCP.

With the latest announcement, the NCP (SP) has declared 76 candidates across three lists. Announcing the latest list, Jayant Patil stated that the decisions were made after careful consideration of the candidates’ potential to secure victory.