NCP fields Nitin Patil for Rajya Sabha in a bid to wrest Satara

During the Lok Sabha campaign in Satara, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar promised to send Nitin Patil to Rajya Sabha after the NCP ceded the Satara seat to BJP’s Udayanraje Bhosle.

“Party workers had demanded my nomination for the Satara LS seat, but due to alliances, we gave it to BJP. It was decided that the Rajya Sabha seat would go to the NCP,” Patil explained.

Nitin Patil, part of a prominent political family in Satara, is the son of former MP Laxmanrao Patil and brother of Makarand Patil, a sitting MLA with Ajit Pawar’s NCP.

He currently serves as chairman of the Satara District Central Cooperative Bank Ltd.

Since its inception in 1999, Satara has been an NCP stronghold. However, following the split in the party, sitting MP Shriniwas Patil, MLA Balasaheb Patil, and MLC Shashikant Shinde sided with Sharad Pawar. Makarand Patil initially resisted Ajit Pawar’s rebellion but later joined due to issues with the cooperative sugar mill he controls.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP’s Udayanraje Bhosle narrowly defeated Shinde, and now both the BJP and Ajit Pawar’s NCP are vying to wrest control of the district from Sharad Pawar’s faction.

Nitin Patil’s candidacy is seen as Ajit Pawar’s strategy to extend his influence in the region.

“Our goal is to win the maximum assembly seats in the upcoming elections and ensure that the Mahayuti government returns to power. We will deliver the results for Ajitdada, who has placed his trust in me,” Nitin Patil said.