On Friday, former Congress corporator from Ghatkopar Pravin Chheda joined the BJP. Chheda was a prominent face in the city Congress from Gujarati community.
Previously, Pravin Chheda joined Congress in 2012. Before joining Congress, he was in the BJP.
Congress appointed him in important positions in BMC.
Pravin Chheda lost to Parag Shah in the 2017 BMC election. Parag Shah is considered to be BJP’s richest corporator.
After his defeat in the BMC elections, Congress tried to keep him active by him party work, but Chheda is believed to be exploring other options.
Senior Congress corporator and opposition leader in BMC Ravi Raja termed Chheda as opportunist and advised to be careful about such politicians.
He said,”If he joined BJP, it shows that he is an opportunist. The party should be careful about such politicians.”
Also, along with Chheda, NCP‘s state unit Vice President Bharti Pawar joined the ruling BJP.
Dr. Bharti Pawar, as a NCP candidate, earlier lost to the BJP’s Harishchandra Chavan in the last Lok Sabha elections held in 2014.
This time, the NCP has denied her ticket and instead ,fielded Dhanraj Mahale.
Both, Pravin Chheda and Bharti Pawar joined the saffron party in the presence of Maharashtra CM, Devendra Fadnavis.
The move came a day after Congress’s Sujay Vikhe Patil quit as Maharashtra leader of Opposition and Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil of NCP quit his party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party.