Mumbai, Oct 22 (IANS): The Ajit Pawar-led NCP on Tuesday received a shot in the arm after former BJP minister Rajkumar Badole from the Vidarbha region joined the party.

NCP, struggling to increase its presence in Vidarbha, which is now BJP’s bastion, hopes that with Badole’s entry, it will be able to pursue its plan more aggressively.

Patole, who was a minister in the cabinet led by former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, was expecting a BJP ticket. Badole comes from Gondia district which is the home district of NCP working president and former union minister Praful Patel.

Badole was elected from the Arjuni Morgaon constituency from Gondia district in the 2014 assembly elections. However, he lost the election in 2019 to United NCP nominee Manohar Chandrikapure by a thin margin of 718 votes.

NCP will have to take a call on whether or not to renominate Chandrikapure or nominate Badole from the Arjuni Morgaon seat for the 2024 assembly election slated for November 20.

Badole was inducted into the party by Ajit Pawar who was accompanied by Patel and the state unit chief Sunil Tatkare.

“We are happy that the NCP’s strength has definitely increased with the induction of an experienced and vocal leader like Rajkumar Badole. I welcome him wholeheartedly and wish him all the best for the future,” said Ajit Pawar.

Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar’s close associate and former legislator Ramesh Thorat today said that he is preparing to blow the trumpet hinting to switch over to the Sharad Pawar faction.

“People from the Daund constituency have been insisting that I should contest the elections from NCP SP’s man-blowing turha symbol. I am still waiting for a formal response from NCP SP. If I don’t get it, I will explore an option of contesting as an independent from Daund constituency (against BJP nominee Rahul Kul),” he added.

“I have told Ajit Pawar that I will soon have to make a decision considering the demand from the people of Daund constituency. I have been in politics for over four decades enjoying support from a large number of people who have accepted me not based on caste or religion. I have worked for the constituency and therefore am quite keen to contest the elections,” he said.

In a related development, BJP’s Beed district president Rajendra Mhaske on Tuesday joined the NCP SP. The BJP, which has yet to recover from the party nominee Pankaja Munde’s defeat from the Beed constituency in the Lok Sabha elections, receives a jolt following Mhaske’s move to call it a day amid the ongoing assembly election process.

Mhaske, who was considered a close confidant of Pankaja Munde, quit the party as he was not upset after his name was not announced in the BJP’s first list of 99 candidates.

Although he has joined NCP SP he may not get the party nominee as the sitting legislator Sandeep Kshirsagar expects renomination from the Beed Assembly seat.