Munde rubbishes talk of Praful Patel joining BJP

Senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde today dismissed speculation that Union Minister and NCP stalwart Praful Patel was on his way to the saffron party.
Talking to reporters here, Munde said there was "no place" for Patel in BJP.
He alleged that NCP chief (Sharad Pawar) was behind these rumours, which were reported by a Marathi newspaper earlier this week.
He also said as there was no place in NDA or BJP for Patel, it followed that there was no question of accommodating his "guru" (mentor) Sharad Pawar post-elections.
The senior BJP leader also said his party may win 235 to 240 Lok Sabha seats and would get a clear majority with the help of its allies.

In this scenario, NDA would not need the support of other parties to form the government, Munde said.

Asked about plans for himself, Munde said at present he would be at the Centre, but could return to Maharashtra if needed.
If Congress lost the election, the Gandhi family must take the responsibility, he remarked.
The state BJP leaders will meet in Mumbai on May 14 to discuss the coming Assembly elections in Maharashtra, he said.