Mumbai: Senior Congress leader and veteran politician DY Patil has joined Sharad Pawar led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Sunday. NCP spokesperson has confirmed that Patil has joined his party. Though his decision has left his son Satej Patil in deep shock who is also a leader of Congress Party.
Satej said, “As a family, it is a surprising decision for everyone. NCP leadership should have intimated someone in our family about his decision, but we feel sad that it did not happen that way.”
He further clarified his position and said, “However, my political stand is clear. I have been working with Congress party for a long time, and I will continue to do so in future as well.”
NCP spokesperson Ankush Kakade explained the development and said, “He was in touch with us and today he called me expressing his willingness to work for NCP. I invited him and completed the procedure and also handed over him the letter of him becoming a member of NCP.”
Answering the media about his role and responsibilities in the NCP Kakade told that he was not aware of such details and Patil must have discussed it with Sharad Pawar.
Patil is a veteran politician from Maharashtra’s Kolhapur region and was elected to Kolhapur Municipal Council as a Congress candidate from 1957 to 1962. In 1967 he was elected to Maharashtra Assembly and represented the Panhala Vidhan Sabha seat.
In 2009, Congress appointed him the Governor of Tripura. Later in 2012, he was appointed the Governor of Bihar.
The DYP group also owns a cricket stadium in Navi Mumbai- DY Patil Stadium, and he is also the chancellor of DY Patil Deemed University. The DY Patil stadium has been facing the financial problems for a long period of time since BCCI stopped holding any matches there.
NCP is already part of the proposed Mahagathbandhan led by Congress and this move by DY Patil will surely unsettle the harmony between the two parties. Sharad Pawar has recently shared the stage with Rahul Gandhi during the Farmers’ rally in Delhi.
Congress who is already worried about the potential perspective of leaders in the State, this comes as a huge blow to its state unit in Maharashtra.
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