Switching of sides by sitting Cong MLA to benefit party: Kolhapur district Cong president

Kolhapur North Congress MLA Jayashree Jadhav joined the Shiv Sena in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

“Poaching is the USP of such parties (Shiv Sena) when they can’t stand on their own feet,” Patil said. (File)

Kolhapur district Congress president Satej Patil Friday told The Indian Express that the decision of sitting Kolhapur North party MLA Jayashree Jadhav to join the Shiv Sena will only benefit the Congress.

“Poaching is the USP of such parties (Shiv Sena) when they can’t stand on their own feet,” Patil said.

“I have met nearly 3,000-4,000 people for Diwali this morning and the unanimous refrain has been that they do not like such tactics. This move has actually brought sympathy for the Congress. We will win,” he added.

Jayashree Jadhav’s decision reportedly caught many in the Congress by surprise. “We fail to understand why she switched parties overnight,” a party source said.

Jayashree Jadhav was elected in the bye-election from the Kolhapur North constituency in 2022 post her husband and then-sitting Congress legislator Chandrakant Jadhav’s death. On Thursday, she joined the Shiv Sena in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Jayashree Jadhav’s son Satyaji Jadhav also joined the Shiv Sena.

She was not renominated by the Congress to contest the Assembly elections from the Kolhapur North constituency this time. The party has instead fielded Madhurima Raje Chhatrapati from the seat.

The 288-member Maharashtra Assembly will go to the polls on November 20, with the counting slated to be held on November 23.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition. ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories

Tags:
Congress