Former BJP MLA from Nagpur joins NCP

MUMBAI: Bringing a moment of relief for the exodus-ridden Nationalist Congress Party, former Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Vijay Ghodmare joined the Sharad Pawar-led party on Saturday.
Ghodmare hails from Nagpur, which is chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s hometown. He was elected to the legislative assembly from Hingana in Nagpur district in 2009, defeating NCP’s Ramesh Bang. In 2014, he was refused a nomination.
“It’s a setback for BJP as Ghodmare is from the CM’s hometown.His entry is unconditional,” NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said.
Following a lacklustre showing in the Lok Sabha polls, the NCP has been hamstrung by a string of defections.
Malik admitted many NCP leaders had quit as they felt they would not be re-elected. “Most leaders who joined BJP did so as they were under the scrutiny of some investigating agency,’’ he said.