<p>Mumbai: In what could come as a jolt to the BJP, the saffron party’s sitting Jalgaon MP Unmesh Patil, who has been denied a ticket, rushed to Mumbai and met Shiv Sena (UBT) head and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday. </p><p>Jalgaon, located in North Maharashtra and traditionally considered a stronghold for the BJP, is scheduled to vote in Phase 4 of the elections.</p><p>Before meeting with Thackeray, a prominent figure within the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition, Patil engaged in consecutive discussions with Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut.</p><p>State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule has also reached out to Patil.</p><p>This time, the BJP has awarded the ticket to Smita Wagh, a former Member of the Legislative Council (MLC), who previously served as the Maharashtra BJP’s women's wing chief. Prior to this role, she held the position of Jalgaon Zilla Parishad President.</p><p>In 2019, Wagh had to withdraw her candidacy when the BJP opted to grant the ticket to Patil.</p><p>In 2014, at the age of 52, Patil was elected as an MLA from Chalisgaon. He subsequently served as the Chairman of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Sugar Factories Federation Ltd from 2015 to 2019, before successfully securing the ticket for the Lok Sabha polls.</p><p>Patil achieved a notable feat by winning Jalgaon with the second-highest number of votes, amounting to 713,874 (65.6 percent), and securing the third-highest victory margin of 411,617 votes. The MP for Mumbai North, Gopal Shetty, attained the highest victory margin, with 465,247 votes from a total count of 706,678 (71.40 percent).</p><p>However, both Patil and Shetty have been dropped by the BJP this time around to make room for Wagh and Union Minister Piyush Goyal, respectively.</p><p>Asked about the development, Raut said: “You will receive news about Unmesh Patil very soon”.</p><p>If Patil decides to switch sides, this move will significantly bolster the Shiv Sena (UBT). According to reports, Patil, along with his politician wife Sampada and a substantial number of supporters, may defect to Thackeray’s party.</p>
<p>Mumbai: In what could come as a jolt to the BJP, the saffron party’s sitting Jalgaon MP Unmesh Patil, who has been denied a ticket, rushed to Mumbai and met Shiv Sena (UBT) head and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday. </p><p>Jalgaon, located in North Maharashtra and traditionally considered a stronghold for the BJP, is scheduled to vote in Phase 4 of the elections.</p><p>Before meeting with Thackeray, a prominent figure within the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition, Patil engaged in consecutive discussions with Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut.</p><p>State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule has also reached out to Patil.</p><p>This time, the BJP has awarded the ticket to Smita Wagh, a former Member of the Legislative Council (MLC), who previously served as the Maharashtra BJP’s women's wing chief. Prior to this role, she held the position of Jalgaon Zilla Parishad President.</p><p>In 2019, Wagh had to withdraw her candidacy when the BJP opted to grant the ticket to Patil.</p><p>In 2014, at the age of 52, Patil was elected as an MLA from Chalisgaon. He subsequently served as the Chairman of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Sugar Factories Federation Ltd from 2015 to 2019, before successfully securing the ticket for the Lok Sabha polls.</p><p>Patil achieved a notable feat by winning Jalgaon with the second-highest number of votes, amounting to 713,874 (65.6 percent), and securing the third-highest victory margin of 411,617 votes. The MP for Mumbai North, Gopal Shetty, attained the highest victory margin, with 465,247 votes from a total count of 706,678 (71.40 percent).</p><p>However, both Patil and Shetty have been dropped by the BJP this time around to make room for Wagh and Union Minister Piyush Goyal, respectively.</p><p>Asked about the development, Raut said: “You will receive news about Unmesh Patil very soon”.</p><p>If Patil decides to switch sides, this move will significantly bolster the Shiv Sena (UBT). According to reports, Patil, along with his politician wife Sampada and a substantial number of supporters, may defect to Thackeray’s party.</p>