Maharashtra Congress, NCP MLAs quit; may join BJP

An MLA of the Congress and two from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra on Tuesday quit their seats and are likely to join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Congress' Kalidas Kolambkar, the MLA from Wadala (Mumbai) and NCP's Vaibhav Pichad (Akole) and Shivendra Raje Bhosale (Satara) submitted their resignations to Speaker Haribhau Bagade, political sources said on Tuesday.

Also, Navi Mumbai NCP strongman and former Minister Ganesh Naik, his son Sandip Naik, MLA from Airoli, 52 municipal corporators and other party activists were also planning to quit the party, the sources said.

All these leaders, along with their supporters, are expected to join the BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday.

The developments came five days after Mumbai NCP President Sachin Ahir joined the Shiv Sena.

Political circles are agog with speculation that several more legislators and senior leaders from various opposition parties are set to join the ruling BJP-Sena as the Assembly elections near.

NCP President Sharad Pawar on Sunday alleged that top BJP leaders like Fadnavis were calling NCP legislators to lure them and claimed that investigating agencies were being misused to force legislators to change loyalties. IANS