Mumbai: Bapusaheb Pathare, a former member of the legislative assembly (MLA) who had previously aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has returned to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar. Pathare formally rejoined the party on Tuesday at Pawar's Mumbai residence, accompanied by his son Surendra and three former corporators: Mahadev Pathare, Mahendra Pathare, and Bhaiyyasaheb Jadhav. Sources suggest that Pathare is likely to receive a candidature for the Vadgaon Sheri assembly constituency in Pune, potentially pitting him against the current NCP MLA Sunil Tingre, who has been embroiled in controversy surrounding a recent Porsche crash case in Pune.
Pathare's return marks the third instance of a BJP leader joining the NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction, following royal descendant Raje Samarjeetsinh Ghatge from Kolhapur and former MP Suryakanta Patil. Upon joining, Pathare stated, "Impressed with the work done by NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, I have joined the party. I will continue to work to make Maharashtra a progressive and prosperous state.
" Pathare previously represented the Vadgaon Sheri seat as an NCP MLA from 2009 to 2014 but failed to secure re-election in 2014 when all parties contested independently. Citing alleged internal conflicts, he joined the BJP in 2019. However, the party opted for sitting MLA Jagdish Mulik as its candidate for the assembly polls that year.
The NCP (SP) leadership has reportedly assured Pathare a ticket for the upcoming elections. Should this materialise, he is expected to face NCP MLA Sunil Tingre, the current representative of the Vadgaon Sheri assembly seat. Tingre, who shifted his allegiance to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar during last year's NCP split, has recently been implicated in a Porsche car accident case.
He stands accused of intervening at the police station on behalf of a juvenile driver involved in a luxury car crash that resulted in the deaths of two young motorcyclists in Kalyani Nagar on 19 May. Allegations suggest Tingre attempted to influence the investigation using his political influence. Pune police questioned him in connection with the case just over a week ago.
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