Sena MLA Amit Ghoda joins NCP

Hit by a slew of desertions ahead of the October 21 Maharashtra Assembly polls, the Nationalist Congress Party on Thursday saw a legislator of a ruling party joining it.

Shiv Sena MLA from Palghar, Amit Ghoda, joined the NCP at the party's headquarters here in the presence of senior leader Ajit Pawar and Nawab Malik.

Amit won by-poll from Palghar in February 2016 following the death of his father and sitting Sena MLA Krishna Ghoda.

On Wednesday, former BJP MLA Manikrao Kokate joined the Sharad Pawar-led party. Kokate is set to contest the Assembly polls from Sinnar in Nashik district.

Congress MLA Bharat Bhalke joined the NCP on September 30. Bhalke will contest from Solapur's Pandhapur.

Former BJP legislator Vijay Ghodmare switched allegiance to the NCP on September 14 and is the opposition party's candidate from Hingana constituency in Nagpur.

On the other hand, former Maharashtra ministers Ganesh Naik and Sachin Ahir, Satara MP Udayanraje Bhosale, MLAs Shivendrasinh Bhosale, Vaibhav Pichad and Sandip Naik and others quit the NCP recently to join the ruling BJP or Shiv Sena.