Maharashtra Assembly Polls 2019: NCP candidate, VBA leader and Congress MLA join BJP

In what came as a major setback for Opposition parties ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Namita Mundada, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) leader Gopichand Padalkar and Indian National Congress’ MLA Kashiram Pawara joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on September 30.

Mundada was already given a party ticket to contest from Kaij Assembly constituency.

Padalkar, who lost the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Sangli on VBA’s ticket, is likely to take on senior NCP leader and former state deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in the Baramati Assembly constituency.