Bhor (Pune) : Former Congress MLA from the Bhor assembly constituency, Sangram Thopate, is expected to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the coming days. Thopate recently held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Pune, signaling his possible switch to the BJP.
Sources within both the BJP and Congress, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the development. Thopate is likely to formally join the BJP next week at an event in Mumbai, which will be attended by senior leaders from both the national and state units of the party.
The Thopate family has traditionally been aligned with the Congress. Sangram Thopate’s father, Anantrao Thopate, was a prominent Congress leader who served six terms as MLA from the Bhor constituency and held ministerial positions in the state government.
Historically, Anantrao Thopate had a political rivalry with Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) leader Sharad Pawar in Pune district. However, during the last Lok Sabha elections, Pawar visited Anantrao Thopate at his residence in Bhor and requested support for his daughter and current Baramati MP, Supriya Sule.
Sangram Thopate, who faced defeat in the previous assembly elections, is believed to have grown increasingly disillusioned. Reports suggest the BJP has assured him support, particularly concerning his sugar factory. Sources also indicate that he has developed close ties with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in recent months.
