Maharashtra: Senior Congress leader Sangram Thopte joins BJP

Senior politician and threetime former MLA Sangram Thopte who hails from a prominent Congress family officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP on TuesdayMaharashtra BJP chief and state Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule and the partys working president Ravindra Chavan welcomed Thopte into the foldThopte who had represented the Bhor constituency in Pune district three times was defeated by NCP candidate Shankar Mandekar in the 2024 assembly pollsThopte had been increasingly dissatisfied with the Congress leadership in recent months His father Anantrao Thopte was a sixtime Congress MLA making the Thopte family a significant name in Maharashtra politicsThopte resigned from the party last weekSpeaking on the occasion Thopte said I was a hardcore Congressman I worked for the party and the Maha Vikas Aghadi But my work and loyalty werent recognised My father and I struggled for the party to ensure the Congress ideology reaches the grassrootsHe said he had been a Congress loyalist but the party forced him to quitHe said the BJP is the largest party in the country and works under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and hence he has decided to join the foldI have known Fadnavis for several years but I have never used that connection for politics Thopte saidOn April 19 Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal revealed that the party had intended to nominate Sangram Thopte for the position of Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly However he alleged that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis thwarted those efforts which reportedly contributed to Thoptes disillusionment with the partyldquoRecently the Congress had decided to make him the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly but Devendra Fadnavis did not allow that to happen This was an injustice to Thopte He should not fall under Fadnavisrsquos influencerdquo Sapkal told reporters in PuneldquoHad Sangram Thopte been appointed Speaker at that time todayrsquos situation could have been avoided Fadnavis is responsible Thopte should avoid taking any step that sends the wrong messagerdquo he addedUltimately BJP MLA Rahul Narwekar was elected unopposed as the Speaker of the 15th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in December 2024 after the Opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA chose not to contest the positionatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params