In another embarrassment for the Congress in Maharashtra in run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, former Union minister Pratik Patil on Sunday announced that he was "breaking ties" with the party. Patil, the grandson of Congress strongman and late chief minister Vasantdada Patil, has not announced his future plans. His decision came days after the Sangli seat, which has been a traditional bastion of the Congress up to 2014, was allocated to the Swabhimani Shetkari Paksha of Raju Shetti as part of the seat-sharing deal between the Congress, the NCP and other constituents of the "United Progressive Mega Alliance".

"In the current environment, I cannot stay with Congress. Some people are trying to end the legacy of late Vasantdada Patil," the former MoS for Coal said. The jibe was apparently aimed at his long time political rival and state NCP president Jayant Patil, and Congress MLA Vishwajeet Kadam, both from Sangli. The Congress lost its grip on Sangli, which falls in western Maharashtra, when Pratik Patil was defeated by Sanjay Kaka Patil of the BJP in the last general elections. It was the first defeat of the Congress since 1962.