Vishal Patil, the newly elected Independent MP from the Sangli constituency in Maharashtra, met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday and extended unconditional support to the party in a formal letter.
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Mr. Patil also met Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former party chief Rahul Gandhi at their official residence. His expected induction into the party will shore up the numbers for the Congress, which had won 99 seats in the Lok Sabha election.
Mr. Patil, grandson of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vasantdada Patil, ran as an Independent after his attempts to win a party nomination failed.
Congress stronghold
His candidacy stirred discord within the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), when Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) unilaterally nominated wrestler Chandrahar Patil as its candidate, despite Sangli being a Congress stronghold for over half a century. Even after Mr. Patil met with senior Congress leaders, including Mr. Kharge, the Sena (UBT) refused to reconsider its choice.
In a post on X, Mr. Kharge on Thursday said, “Welcoming the support of the elected MP from Sangli, Shri Vishal Patil (@patilvishalvp) to the Congress party.”
All India Congress Committee general secretary K.C. Venugopal said that the Congress had always had deep roots in Sangli and with this sentiment, Mr. Patil had extended unconditional support to the party. “This is a truly fitting move which takes the legacy of Congress stalwart Vasantdada Patil ji forward,” Mr. Venugopal said in a post on X.
Asked when he would formally join the Congress, Mr. Patil said, “Once you get elected as an Independent, you extend support but there are some technical difficulties in joining. After consulting experts, I will do whatever I need to do for the road ahead.”
Mr. Patil received support from Palus-Kadegaon MLA and Sangli strongman Vishwajeet Kadam, the son of late Congress stalwart Patangrao Kadam, who had been preparing for the Congress’ victory for at least eight months before the election.
Support expected from Purnea MP
Pappu Yadav, who won the Purnea Lok Sabha seat as an Independent candidate, is expected to extend his support to the Congress as well. Just before the election, he had merged his own political outfit with the expectation that he would contest the Purnea seat on a Congress ticket. However, the seat went to the Rashtriya Janata Dal in the seat-sharing arrangements negotiated by the Opposition alliance.
Meanwhile, the Congress has convened a meeting of its extended Working Committee on June 8 and is also hosting a dinner for its newly elected MPs later in the evening.
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Aisha Patel is a dedicated Indian correspondent with a deep understanding of the nation’s diverse affairs. With a background in Indian culture, politics, and current events, she provides in-depth analysis and timely reporting on domestic issues within India.
