In Maharashtra, Congress faced another blow as Basavaraj Patil Murumkar, the state working president, has stepped down from the party, adding to the list of recent resignations by senior Congress leaders.
Patil is set to switch sides and join the BJP, with his formal induction scheduled for later today. The announcement is expected to be made in the presence of state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bavankule and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis, whom Patil met earlier today, according to India Today.
However, Congress state chief Nana Patole has refuted reports of Patil's resignation, stating, "We have not received any resignation letter from Basavraj Patil. He is not active in the party, and we are hearing the news from the media, but he has not communicated with us," India Today quoted.
Basavaraj Patil Murumkar, a prominent figure in Maharashtra politics, hails from Murum in Umarga taluka of Dharashiv district. He entered the political arena by winning the 1999 assembly elections and served as the Rural Development Minister of Maharashtra from 1999 to 2004. Despite facing defeat in the 2004 elections, he later secured victories in subsequent elections, representing different constituencies.
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This development comes after the other senior Maharashtra Congress leaders, including ex-CM Ashok Chavan, Milind Deora, and Baba Siddiqui, who have left the party recently. Chavan joined the BJP, Deora is now with Shiv Sena, and Siddiqui has joined the NCP led by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.
