A day after he quit the Congress, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan is set to join the BJP later today. Mr Chavan had yesterday told the media that he will take a decision on his next step in a couple of days. Deputy Chief Minister and the state’s top BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, it is learnt, will welcome Mr Chavan into the party.
Sources have said the former Chief Minister may be offered a Rajya Sabha seat. That would also explain his decision to join the BJP a day after he resigned from the Congress and the Assembly: time for filing nomination for the Rajya Sabha polls is running out.
“I have resigned from the Assembly membership as an MLA. I have given my resignation to the Speaker. I have resigned from the Congress Working Committee and the Congress primary membership. I have not decided to join any party. I will clear my stand on joining a party after two days,” Mr Chavan told reporters yesterday.
Mr Chavan’s exit is yet another big blow to Maharashtra Congress months ahead of state polls and the general election. Earlier, another key Congress leader, Milind Deora, quit the party and joined the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena. Baba Siddique too left the Congress and moved to the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
According to Congress sources, Mr Chavan’s differences with state party chief Nana Patole played a key role in his decision. Speaking to the media yesterday, he had suggested that he was upset over the delay in finalising seat-sharing within the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance with just months left for the polls.
Mumbai Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, too, said that the former Chief Minister was upset over the working style of a Congress leader in Maharashtra. He did not name any leader.
“He (Chavan) had approached the top leadership. Had his complaint been taken seriously, this situation would not have happened,” Mr Nirupam said.