Cong at its weakest in Pune as former MLA set to join BJP

Mumbai: Within a month of former Pune MLA Ravindra Dhangekar deserting the Congress for the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, another influential leader from Pune district is set to leave the grand old party. Sangram Thopte, a three-term legislator from the Bhor assembly constituency, on Sunday declared that he would join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) later this week.

“I will join the BJP along with my supporters on April 22 in Mumbai, in the presence of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule and working president Ravindra Chavan,” Thopte told reporters.

The Congress does not have a single MLA from Pune district in the current assembly, though it had three legislators in the previous term. Thopte’s departure in these circumstances would be a big jolt for the party, a senior Congress functionary told Hindustan Times.

“Dhangekar was an outsider, but Thopte comes from a family of loyalists of the Gandhis. His desertion will leave a deep impact on the party’s future in Pune district,” said the senior leader, requesting anonymity.

Sangram Thopte is the son of Anantrao Thopte, a Congress veteran who was a minister for 14 years and represented the Bhor constituency for six terms.

Speculations about Sangram Thopte leaving the Congress emerged after he lost his traditional seat, Bhor, to Shankar Mandekar from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP in the November 2024 assembly polls. Thopte lost to Mandekar by over 19,000 votes.

He held a meeting with his supporters in Pune prior to announcing oni Sunday that he would join the BJP and they are believed to have asked him to leave the Congress.

While addressing the press conference in Pune, he blamed the Congress leadership for his decision.

“I was neglected by the party during the last few years. In 2019, when the MVA (Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi) government came to power, I was hoping to get a ministerial position but was ignored. I was again hopeful for the assembly speaker’s position when Nana Patole resigned, and later for the opposition leader’s position after the fall of the MVA government. But I got nothing,” he lamented.

Responding to his announcement, senior Congress leader Mohan Joshi alleged the BJP was misusing power and forcing leaders to join the party.

“BJP is misusing power – the loan guarantee approved for Thopte’s sugar factory was suspended by them. They forced him to leave the party if he wanted to financially stable,” Joshi told HT.

In August 2024, a ₹80-crore loan guarantee was extended to Rajgarh sugar factory associated with Thopte under a National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) scheme. But the assistance was later withdrawn by the Mahayuti government. The issue was raised by NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar during his meeting with then chief minister Eknath Shinde in August 2024.