Veteran Cong leader Shivraj Patil's daughter-in-law joins BJP in Maha

Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, former Lok Sabha Speaker Shivraj Patil's daughter-in-law, Archana Patil Chakurkar, joined BJP on Saturday in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis.

State BJP Chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule was also present at Chakurkar's induction into the party.

Archana Patil is the chairperson of the Lifecare Hospital and Research Centre in Udgir, and her husband, Shailesh Patil Chandurkar, is the Congress' state secretary.

Chakurkar had met Fadnavis at his official residence 'Sagar' in south Mumbai on Friday.

Shivraj Patil served as Union Home Minister under the Congress-led UPA government from 2004 to 2008.

Meanwhile, Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Navneet Rana joined the BJP in the presence of BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, in Nagpur.

"For the last five years, I was working on the ideas of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, my ideology is no different. My husband, MLA Ravi Rana, also supported the BJP government in Maharashtra. PM Modi supports those working at ground level, he gave me the ticket. The BJP has honoured my hard work, and we will fulfil our resolve of crossing 400 by winning the election...I will work as a dedicated worker for the BJP," said Navneet Rana.

The BJP has fielded Navneet Rana from Amravati in Maharashtra and Govind Karjol from Chitradurga in Karnataka. Both seats are reserved for candidates from the Scheduled Caste community. Rana was elected from Amravati in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate.

After marrying BJP politician Ravi Rana, Navneet Rana began her career in politics. In 2014, she unsuccessfully contested her first election from Amravati on the NCP platform. Later, as an independent candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rana was chosen to represent Amravati.

Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra will be held in five phases on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

The state, with its 48 Lok Sabha seats, is the second-largest contributor to the lower house of Parliament after Uttar Pradesh. Known for its political diversity and significant electoral influence, Maharashtra plays a crucial role in shaping national politics.

In the 2019 elections, the BJP emerged as the largest party with 23 seats, followed by the Shiv Sena with 18 seats.