Thopte, who represented the Bhor constituency in Pune district, had been increasingly dissatisfied with the Congress leadership in recent months
Pic/Shadab Khan
Senior politician and three-time former MLA Sangram Thopte, who hails from a prominent Congress family, officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday.
Maharashtra BJP chief and state Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule and the party's working president Ravindra Chavan welcomed Thopte into the fold.
Thopte, who had represented the Bhor constituency in Pune district three times, was defeated by NCP candidate Shankar Mandekar in the 2024 assembly polls.
Thopte had been increasingly dissatisfied with the Congress leadership in recent months. His father, Anantrao Thopte, was a six-time Congress MLA, making the Thopte family a significant name in Maharashtra politics.
Thopte resigned from the party last week.
Speaking on the occasion, Thopte said, "I was a hardcore Congressman. I worked for the party and the Maha Vikas Aghadi. But my work and loyalty weren't recognised. My father and I struggled for the party to ensure the Congress ideology reaches the grassroots."
He said he had been a Congress loyalist, but the party forced him to quit.
He said the BJP is the largest party in the country and works under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and hence, he has decided to join the fold.
"I have known Fadnavis for several years, but I have never used that connection for politics," Thopte said.
On April 19, Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal revealed that the party had intended to nominate Sangram Thopte for the position of Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. However, he alleged that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis thwarted those efforts, which reportedly contributed to Thopte's disillusionment with the party.
“Recently, the Congress had decided to make him the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, but Devendra Fadnavis did not allow that to happen. This was an injustice to Thopte. He should not fall under Fadnavis’s influence,” Sapkal told reporters in Pune.
“Had Sangram Thopte been appointed Speaker at that time, today’s situation could have been avoided. Fadnavis is responsible. Thopte should avoid taking any step that sends the wrong message,” he added.
Ultimately, BJP MLA Rahul Narwekar was elected unopposed as the Speaker of the 15th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in December 2024 after the Opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), chose not to contest the position.
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