Harshvardhan Patil: The politician who deftly switches parties without ruffling feathers

On Monday, Patil, along with his followers, formally joined NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar, after having ended his five-year association with BJP on October 5 this year.

The development is being perceived as a setback to BJP which is already confronted with a strong Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi in the Assembly 2024 elections in Maharashtra. Any political upheaval, at this moment when its top leadership at the Centre and state are burning midnight oil to set the house in order, is without doubt inimical.

Officially, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said, “Patil wanted to contest from Indapur Assembly constituency. BJP can’t allow that as we have a sitting NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) MLA Dattatrey Bharne. It was thereby difficult to stop him from moving on.” But such instances during elections are bound to take place. It does not overall impact the organisation, he said.

Unlike a few established Marathas families in Western Maharashtra who can influence elections in half a dozen seats, Patil’s electoral prowess is limited to his own constituency in Indapur in Pune district. Yet, he has a presence as a seasoned politician who has mastered the art of political management, especially groomed in the sugar cooperative sector. In the state, Patil has friends across parties, the ruling party and the opposition. The only exception was his long rivalry with Ajit Pawar since 2009 for political upmanship in Indapur.

After graduating in Law (B.Com/ L.LB) from Pune University in 1988, Patil started his political career as an independent candidate from home turf Indapur Assembly seat in 1995. He was the minister of state for water conservation in the Sena and BJP coalition government which came to power for the first time from 1995 to 1999.

Patil contested as an independent candidate and won in 1995, 1999 and 2004. In 2009 Assembly polls he contested as a Congress candidate and won. As cabinet minister, he served on an important portfolio including parliamentary affairs and the cooperative sector from 2009 to 2014 in the Congress-NCP coalition government.

In the 2014 multi cornered contest wherein all parties fought polls separately, Patil lost from Indapur to undivided NCP’S Dattatrey Bharne. In 2019, Patil was promised that NCP would concede the constituency to him provided he supported their Lok Sabha candidate Supriya Sule in Baramati polls. Indapur is among the six assembly seats in Baramati Lok Sabha. Sule won the 2019 polls. However, a power tussle over seat sharing saw NCP asserting its right over Indapur. Patil had then alleged that he was betrayed by NCP leaders Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar who broke their word to him.

A month before 2019 Assembly polls, Patil quit the Congress to join BJP, led by then CM Devendra Fadnavis, which gave him a ticket from Indapur seat.

However, Patil lost to NCPs Bharne. After this debacle Patil had to wait long for political rehabilitation in BJP politics. He was hoping to become MLC or Rajya Sabha MP, which also did not happen. He was not made minister in state nor the Centre.

After much delay in February 2024, he was made the president of National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Federation. In the last few years, Patil has worked closely with Amit Shah to help resolve sugar industry issues.

In a public rally, Shah who holds the Home and Cooperative ministry, said, “Maharashtra’s sugar cooperative welfare and ethanol are matters which Patil relentlessly pursues with the Centre.”

With Ajit Pawar insistence for the Indapur seat, BJP had no option other than upset Patil. At the meeting held with deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, Patil was given other options such as a Rajya Sabha seat/ or another constituency, but he turned it down saying his followers insist he contest from Indapur only. Many within BJP suspected he would contest as an independent candidate, but that did not happen as Patil went on to meet Sharad Pawar and sought an assurance for both— an NCP (SP) ticket as well as support from the party in the polls.

NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule acknowledged the development. ” Giving a ticket to Patil is bound to upset inhouse aspirants, but we will iron out these issues through discussions,” she said.