Ex-NCP (SP) MLA & Jayant Patil nephew Tanpure likely to join BJP today

Nashik: Former NCP (SP) MLA and ex-minister Prajakt Tanpure is likely to join BJP in the presence of state BJP chief Ravindra Chavan at a programme in Mumbai on Saturday. Sources said Tanpure, nephew of NCP (SP) MLA Jayant Patil, was expected to be rewarded with the party’s candidature for the Ahilyanagar MLC seat.

A source close to Tanpure told TOI, “The former minister will formally join BJP at a function in Mumbai on Saturday, attended by Ravindra Chavan and other party leaders, after which his candidature for the Ahilyanagar MLC seat is likely to be announced.”

Tanpure’s anticipated switch follows the Rahuri assembly byelection held last month, in which he chose not to contest, effectively smoothing the way for BJP candidate Akash Kardile to secure victory. The sources said Tanpure joining BJP could weaken NCP (SP)’s hold in the Ahilyanagar region while strengthening BJP’s prospects ahead of the upcoming MLC elections.

Tanpure, who served as a minister in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) govt, lost the Rahuri assembly seat to BJP’s Shivaji Kardile in the 2024 elections. The seat later fell vacant following Kardile’s demise in Oct 2025. Despite an opportunity to reclaim the constituency in the bypoll, Tanpure stayed out of the race, reportedly after intervention by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

In Ahilyanagar, electoral arithmetic currently favours BJP, which has 199 members in the 461-member electorate. NCP has around 50 members, while 231 votes are required to win. The seat was previously held by NCP’s Arun Jagtap, but BJP is expected to mount a strong challenge despite efforts by NCP to retain it.

Meanwhile, MVA has finalised seat-sharing for 15 of the 17 MLC seats in Maharashtra, including the Nagpur bypoll. However, discussions are still ongoing for the Nashik and Nanded seats.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Congress state chief Harshwardhan Sapkal said under the agreed formula, Congress would contest eight seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) four and NCP (SP) three. “We are yet to reach a consensus on two seats,” he added.