Trouble is brewing for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its Mahayuti allies in north Maharashtra amid speculation that the BJP’s sitting MP from Jalgaon, Unmesh Patil, is planning to switch over to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).
The disgruntled Mr. Patil, a first-time MP from Jalgaon, was denied a ticket this time in favour of his party colleague Smita Wagh, a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
Mr. Patil reached Mumbai on April 2 where he conferred with Mr. Thackeray and Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut. He is expected to join the Sena (UBT) on Wednesday and could be declared as the party’s candidate for the Jalgaon seat, said sources.