Now, it’s NCP MLA’s turn to shift allegiance

A few days after three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs joined the Nationalist Congress  Party (NCP), the BJP retaliated by successfully roping in an  NCP MLA from Ahmednagar to its fold. Shivaji Kardile joined the party on Monday.

“This is a first step towards a tit for tat treatment,” said BJP general secretary Gopinath Munde. “There are two more NCP big shots on the verge  of joining  the BJP.”

Kardile said that he defected from the NCP because some of the party’s leaders campaigned against him in the Lok Sabha (LS) election. “Sharad Pawar gave me a ticket but some leaders always tried their best to get me defeated. They were successful,” he said.

Kardile contested the LS election from Ahmednagar. He was defeated by BJP’s Dileep Gandhi. A three-time MLA, Kardile is expected to contest the assembly election from Rahuri on a BJP ticket.