india

Updated: Sep 14, 2019 13:14 IST

In a major jolt to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) its sitting Member of Parliament (MP) Udayanraje Bhonsle joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday. Bhonsle represents Satara Lok Sabha constituency. He is a 13th descendant of Maratha King Shivaji Maharaj.

Bhonsle joined the party in presence of BJP’s national president Amit Shah, working president JP Nadda and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

He is the first sitting MP, who has left the party after the recently held general elections.

Bhonsle said, “BJP is taking ahead Shivaji’s thoughts and this is the only reason party’s good performance in all the states,”

Before that, he met Lok Sabha speaker On Birla and submitted his resignation as a NCP MP. With his resignation, Satara constituency will have to face bypolls to be announced by the election commission.

Shah said they are very happy to have descendant of King Shivaji in the party as they all are inspired by the latter. “We all are inspired by Chhatrapati Shivaji and have been trying to follow him since Jana Sangh (Akhil Bhartiya Jana Sangh) days. We are happy that Shivaji’s descendant will work with us,” Shah said.

On Thursday, Bhonsle had met NCP chief Sharad Pawar in Pune. He also criticised Pawar saying the latter never gives free hand to people. “This is the main reason people are leaving him. If you get to ask them ( NCP defectors) in private, they will tell you the same,” Bhonsle said.

So far, eight sitting MLAs and several senior leaders have left NCP.



