Vikhe Patil rejects reports of resigning as Leader of Opposition from Maha assembly

Senior Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil Tuesday rejected reports that he had quit as the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

Speculation about Vikhe Patil resigning as Maharashtra LoP have been rife in political circles ever since his son, Sujay, joined the ruling BJP on March 12 and is set to be recommended by it for the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat.

Sujay's candidature from the BJP will pit him in a straight fight with the NCP, which had refused to accede to Vikhe Patil's request to let his son fight on a Congress ticket from there. Vikhe Patil, who is in his hometown Loni, said, "I reject reports that I have resigned as Leader of Opposition." Vikhe Patil had earlier said that Sujay's decision to join the BJP was a personal one. He would continue to the serve the Congress and abide by its directives, the LoP had asserted.