Maharashtra Voters Turn Their Back on Some Turncoats; Many Others Win

Mumbai: Some prominent opposition leaders who had joined the ruling BJP or Shiv Sena, including cabinet minister Jaydutt Kshirsagar, have bitten the dust as the Maharashtra Assembly poll results came in on Thursday.

Kshirsagar, fighting on Shiv Sena ticket, was defeated by his nephew and NCP candidate Sandip Kshirsagar. Vaibhav Pichad, son of former NCP minister Madhukar Pichad had joined the BJP few days before the election. He lost to Dr Kiran Lahamate of the NCP by 57,689 votes from

Akole seat.

Interestingly, Lahamate was a BJP worker for many years and had been in the camp opposed to the Pichad family. Irked with state BJP's decision to induct Vaibhav, Lahamate joined the NCP and won the election.

Two MLAs who had joined the Shiv Sena before the polls, namely, Pandurang Barora and Nirmala Gavit, also lost the elections from Shahapur and Igatpuri, respectively. Barora was an NCP MLA and Gavit a Congress legislator.

Former minister Harshvardhan Patil, who switched sides from the Congress to the BJP so that he could contest from his home turf, Indapur, lost to the NCP's Duttatray Bharane. Gopaldas Agrawal, Congress MLA from Gondia and head of the Public Accounts Committee during 2014-19, had joined the BJP before the polls. But he failed to retain the seat as BJP candidate this time.

There were others who succeeded in winning elections after joining the ruling parties. Congress leader and former Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who joined the BJP and was made cabinet minister, won from Shirdi. NCP leader Ganesh Naik, who joined the BJP, won from Airoli against the NCP's Ganesh Shinde by 57,622 votes.

Ranajagjitsinh Patil, another NCP heavyweight (and nephew of party stalwart Ajit Pawar) who had joined the BJP won from Tuljapur.

Namita Mundada joined the BJP despite the NCP announcing her candidature. She won from Kaij against Pruthviraj Sathe of the NCP. One of the most controversial leaders to join the BJP was Nitesh Rane, who won from Kankavli.

As there is no love lost between Nitesh Rane's father Narayan Rane and the Shiv Sena, the Sena had put up a candidate against him, but Nitesh managed to win. Former Congress leader Jaykumar Gore won from Mann on BJP ticket. NCP's Shivendrasinh Bhosale won from Satara-Jawli

on BJP ticket.

Ravisheth Patil of the Peasants and Workers Party had joined the BJP and contested from Pen. He won the seat.

NCP leader Rahul Narvekar won from Colaba and Congress MLA Kalidas Kolambkar won from Wadala, both on BJP ticket.

Congress MLA Kashiram Pawara won on BJP ticket this time from Shirpur, while Abdul Sattar who crossed over from the Congress to the Shiv Sena won from Sillod.