Sujay Vikhe-Patil, son of senior Congress leader Radhakrishan Vikhe-Patil, who is the Leader of the Opposition in Assembly, joined the BJP on Tuesday.

Sujay wanted to contest as a Congress candidate from the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat. However, the seat is with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as per the seat-sharing formula between the Congress and the NCP.

As the NCP president refused to give up the seat to the Congress, Sujayjoined the BJP and will contest on that party’s ticket.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who welcomed Sujay into the party, said that the BJP will be strengthened in the sugar belt with Sujay joining the party. Without naming Sujay’s father, Fadnavis said that the Vikhe-Patil family will soon realise that the decision taken by Sujay is correct.

Vikhe-Patils have a strong hold on cooperatives in Ahmednagar district and control a network of cooperative societies, educational institutes, sugar mills and dairies. Sujay’s father Radhakrishna has not commented on the step taken by his son.

Meanwhile, senior BJP Minister Girish Mahajan said that many leaders from the NCP and the Congress are willing to join the BJP. “BJP has already won half the battle and we would win maximum seats in the State,” he said.

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