is witnessing a new trend with entire families defecting from Congress and NCP to BJP or Shiv Sena.

NCP leader Vijaysinh Mohite Patil took the lead. On the eve of the

elections, he and his son Ranjeet joined the BJP. A trusted aide of Sharad Pawar, Patil was deputy chief minister during the Congress-NCP rule in the state.

Patil was followed by Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil. First, his son Sujay joined the BJP and successfully contested the Lok Sabha elections from Ahmednagar. The senior Patil then joined the BJP and was inducted into the cabinet as housing minister. Apparently, Vikhe Patil was miffed with the Congress for not giving his son a ticket for the Lok Sabha elections.

Akole legislator Vaibhav Pichad will also join the BJP along with his father Madhukar Pichad, who was NCP president and cabinet member for several decades.

Madhukar Pichad, too, was among the close aides of Pawar. Vaibhav has taken the view that since he belongs to the opposition, all the developmental works in his constituency have come to a grinding halt. More shocking will be the defection of the entire Manohar Naik family to Shiv Sena. Naik is the only NCP legislator from

. Naik, too, has been associated with Pawar for several decades. He was a cabinet member for more than one and half decade. His nephew, Nilay, has already joined the BJP and is a member of the legislative council, while his son Indranil may contest the ensuing state assembly elections as Shiv Sena nominee. Sharad Pawar said premier probe agencies are being misused to secure the entry of NCP legislators in BJP.

Pune MP Girish Bapat lands big-ticket role

Pune Lok Sabha member Girish Bapat has been appointed chairman of the estimates committee, which is considered the most prestigious after the public accounts committee and committee on public undertakings.

This is the first time in the recent past that a Lok Sabha member from Maharashtra will head the committee, which has been entrusted the task of scrutinizing expenditure and utilization of funds in government departments and ministries.

In addition, it can advise the government on improving efficiency and economy in administration. The estimates committee also reviews reports submitted by the CAG and the latter assists it in assessment of government schemes and projects.

A former minister for food and civil supplies, Bapat was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2019 by a huge margin. As an FDA minister, Bapat had brought in complete transparency in the functioning of all organizations under his ministry.

As head of the public accounts committee of the state legislature, Bapat had played a key role in examining irregularities in the construction of Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi.