A day before the son of Opposition leader in the assembly Sujay Vikhe Patil is expected to enter the BJP, his anxious father was seen making last ditch efforts to convince the Congress and ally NCP to facilitate the junior's Lok Sabha candidature from hometown Ahmednagar.

An embarrassed Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil met Congress high-command Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Monday evening to pitch for his son who has told him he was appalled at the Congress's non-cooperation with regard to the demand for an official nomination. The son's adamant attitude and plain-speak has landed the father in a situation that cannot escape the scrutiny of the party bosses. There have been instances that Radhakrishna was accused of being over-friendly with CM Devendra Fadnavis and going easy in matters that needed a sharp attack on the government.