Amid rumours of joining BJP, Udayanraje meets Sharad Pawar

Amid speculation that he may join the BJP, NCP's Satara MP Udayanraje Bhosale met his party chief Sharad Pawar at the latter's residence in Maharashtra's Pune city on Thursday.

The meeting here comes two days after Bhosale, who is a descendant of warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai.

NCP leader Dhananjay Munde later told reporters that the meeting of Bhosale with Pawar was regarding the upcoming state Assembly polls.

"Today's meeting between Pawar saheb and Bhosale was about the party's overall campaign in the state in view of the upcoming elections," Munde said.

Asked whether this meeting will end the speculation of Bhosale joining the BJP, Munde said the NCP MP himself never made any statement about joining the ruling party.

"In fact, camps in the BJP were deliberately spreading rumours about his joining to divert the attention of people of the state from some key issues," the leader of opposition in the state Legislative Council said.

"Today's meeting was to chalk out a strategy for the state elections," he reiterated.

Fadnavis last month said the BJP will be happy if Bhosale joins the ruling party.

His statement came after Bhosale lavished praise on the chief minister for carrying out development works in Satara. The Lok Sabha member from Satara had also accused the previous Congress-NCP government of creating "obstacles" in the progress of his constituency.

Bhosale, who is one of the NCP's four MPs from Maharashtra, then said he will have to take a decision based on what was in the interest of the people of his constituency at a given time.

Recently, his cousin and NCP's Satara MLA Shivendrasinh Bhosale deserted the opposition party and joined the BJP along with other legislators like Sandip Naik and Vaibhav Pichad.

On Wednesday, former state minister and NCP's Navi Mumbai strongman Ganesh Naik also joined the BJP along with around 50 corporators.