Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil welcome to join Shiv Sena: Sanjay Raut

After Sujay Vikhe Patil joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut invited Sujay's father and the leader of opposition in Maharashtra Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil to join Shiv Sena.

"Like his son Sujay who joined BJP today, I welcome Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil to join Shiv Sena. Our party now wants that he should join Shiv Sena as well," Raut said. "If opposition leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil wants to join Shiv Sena, we welcome him. And the doors of Shiv Sena are open for him," he added.

On Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar's decision of not contesting Lok Sabha elections, Raut said, "I am not surprised with Pawar not fighting elections. I do not think he had ever decided to contest the elections."

"This is all done to give some publicity to Parth," he added.

The 78-year-old Rajya Sabha member and NCP chief said on Monday that he will not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He, instead, decided to launch his grand nephew Parth from Maval constituency.

Raut ruled out the possibility of Shiv Sena Yuvasena chief and Uddhav's son Aditya Thackeray contesting the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

"He (Aditya) can contest in the future but till now he is not fighting elections now. Party chief Uddhav Thackeray has not taken any decision in this regard," he said.