Congress takes back ex-bjp MP Nana Patole

Mumbai: The Congress on Thursday announced the “ghar wapsi” of former MP Nana Patole through micro-blogging website Twitter. Mr Patole had met Congress president Rahul Gandhi along with senior leaders of Maharashtra on January 4 at Delhi. With Mr Gandhi having returned from Bahrain, the Congress declared the induction of Mr Patole. The Congress’ official Twitter account tweeted, “Mr Gandhi warmly welcomes Mr Patole, ex-MP from the BJP, to the Congress family.”

Mr Patole had levelled serious allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the latter did not like to take questions. Ever since, he has been in the limelight. He met former finance minister Yashvant Sinha and tried to unite sulking leaders of the BJP. After getting the cold shoulder however, he resigned from the BJP and has decided to join the Congress. There is some ambiguity about whether Mr Patole will contest the Bhandara-Gondia Lok Sabha by-election as he himself is reluctant to do so.

Mr Patole had met Mr Gandhi in the national capital on January 4 along with Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan, opposition leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, and Maharashtra in-charge Mohan Prakash. Sources said that Mr Patole told the Congress leadership that he was reluctant to contest the Bhandara-Gondia by-election which would be announced soon as he had resigned from there. “If Praful Patel contests the by-election, only then will I throw my hat into the ring,” he said.