Setback For Congress In Pune: Ex-mla And 'hardcore Congressman' Sangram Thopte Joins Bjp

In a caller jolt to nan Congress successful Maharashtra, erstwhile MLA Sangram Thopte connected Tuesday joined nan Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), ending his decades-long relation pinch nan expansive aged party. Thopte, on pinch a ample group of supporters from Bhor taluka successful Pune district, was inducted into nan BJP successful nan beingness of Maharashtra BJP main Chandrashekhar Bawankule and nan party’s moving president Ravindra Chavan.

Thopte, a three-time MLA from Bhor, resigned from Congress past week aft increasing disillusioned pinch nan party’s leadership. His defection is being seen arsenic a important summation for nan BJP, which has struggled to make inroads successful Bhor — a spot held firmly by nan Thopte family for decades.

“I was a hardcore Congressman. I worked for nan statement and nan Maha Vikas Aghadi. But my activity and loyalty weren’t recognised. My begetter and I struggled for nan statement to guarantee nan Congress ideology reaches nan grassroots,” Thopte said during nan induction.

Thopte's father, nan precocious Anantrao Thopte, was a six-time Congress MLA from Bhor and a salient rival of NCP (SP) main Sharad Pawar. The family's deep-rooted Congress bequest had kept nan BJP astatine bay successful nan constituency for complete a decade, moreover done nan tallness of nan Modi wave.

"I person known Fadnavis for respective years, but I person ne'er utilized that relationship for politics," Thopte said, adding that he decided to move because nan BJP is “the largest statement successful nan state and useful nether nan activity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.”

The BJP views Thopte's introduction arsenic a strategical move to grow its power successful nan agrarian strongholds of Pune district, wherever nan Congress and NCP proceed to bid support. "Thopte joining nan BJP will boost nan statement prospects successful nan agrarian parts of Pune district, wherever nan power of nan NCP and nan Congress is still rather strong," a BJP leader said.

Thopte mislaid nan 2024 assembly elections to NCP's Shankar Mandekar, but his beingness continues to clasp sway among nan agrarian electorate. His exit is expected to dent nan Congress' already shrinking guidelines successful nan region and perchance reshape nan governmental equations successful nan run-up to nan authorities polls.

(With inputs from PTI)
 

Published on: Apr 22, 2025 2:00 PM IST