Nana Patole was one of the few sitting MPs who was openly critical of Narendra Modi's policies and the party's functioning
Maharashtra BJP leader and MP Nana Patole, who has always been extremely critical about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party policies and his way of functioning, quit his Lok Sabha (LS) seat and the party's membership on Friday. A representative of Bhandara-Gondia in eastern Vidarbha, Patole was one of the few sitting MPs who was vocal in his criticism of the Centre, as well as the Devendra Fadnavis government, over the party's failure in resolving the agrarian crisis.
Nana Patole
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Patole said that he submitted his papers to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. "I quit because the BJP government has breached the trust of voters. It has not been able to fulfill the promises it made in 2014. The government has failed miserable. It's a sham." He further said, "As the speaker wasn't present on Friday, I handed over my resignation to the secretary general of the Parliament." Adding that he felt suffocated in the BJP, he said, "I joined the party for a specific purpose, which I haven't been able to fulfill till date."
Patole said he has not decided on which party to join, but sources said he might make his way to the Congress, which he represented for three terms in the Maharashtra Assembly. He had quit the party ahead of the 2014 LS elections, in which he defeated Praful Patel from NCP.
If sources are to be believed, Patole wanted BJP to give him lucrative posts in the party, but nothing of that sort happened. His first fallout with the BJP happened when the PM humiliated him for demanding a separate ministry for OBCs. Problems escalated further with him taking jibes at Modi for his policies. Last week, he even joined hands with a party veteran and known Modi critic, Yashwant Sinha, to agitate against the party.
Meanwhile, interesting equations would emerge if Patole joins the Congress in a bid to get re-elected and Patel challenges him as an NCP candidate. The NCP is unlikely to vacate its claim on Gondia-Bhandara and ask Patole to contest the elections. Whatever the situation is, the by-poll would certainly be a challenge for the BJP. Sources said the best possible way to win it would be to woo Patel over to the party or find a powerful candidate to retain the seat.
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