Pune: BJP Harshvardhan Patil of Indapur today announced that he would soon be joining the NCP led by Sharad Pawar. Patil announced the decision after holding discussions with his supporters and after getting their permission.

Patil said yesterday he met Sharad Pawar in Mumbai. ''Sharad Pawar saheb told me that since my party workers want me to join, I should take the decision...I told him that let me first talk to my party workers...Accordingly, today I held a meeting with party workers who have their green signal,'' he said.

Patil said four days back, he had met BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and told him about the sentiments about of his supporters. ''I conveyed my stand to him...He also put some proposals before me...After which I had decided to join the NCP (S-P),'' he said.

Patil said he told Fadnavis said that his supporters in Indapur taluka want him to contest the assembly election. ''My supporters were hurt as I had lost last election only by 1,500 votes. After my loss, my supporters suffered as lot of injustice was meted out to them. My supporters had to struggle they never deserted me. The com,mon man stood by me despite the fact that I was not an MLA. I told Devendra Fadnavis that if I take the decision he wants me to take, then it will be a personal decision. But I told him that I want to take decision as per the people's wish. To this, Fadnavis said I should understand his problems and take decision which I think fit. After this, I decided to meet Sharad Pawar,'' Patil said.

Harshvardhan who is considered close to Fadnavis has been forced to take the decision to quit BJP as he won't be able to contest Indapur seat if he stays in the party. As per the Mahayuti arrangement, the seat will be contested by BJP's alliance partner, NCP, led by Ajit Pawar. ''As the Indapur seat will be contested by NCP, Fadnavis gave me another option which would not have been acceptable to my supporters and my voters,'' he said.

His daughter, Anikta Patil said,''Party workers want her father to join NCP (S-P). I have submitted my resignation from all BJP posts. I will remain active for the assembly polls.''

Patil decided to join Sharad Pawar's party NCP which as per the arrangement in Maha Vikas Aghadi will get to contest the seat. Of the three alliance partners in MVA, Sharad Pawar's party has emerged as the most sought-after party following its stellar performance in the Lok Sabha elections. Before Harshvardhan Patil, BJP leader Samarjeetsinh Ghatge also joined NCP (S-P). He is likely to be fielded from Kagal assembly seat in Kolhapur.

Patil who is the chairman of the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories, has been elected from Indapur constituency four times. 

Patil has served as minister in the BJP-Shiv Sena government in 1995 after he was elected from Indapur as an independent candidate. He was also the minister in the Congress-NCP government from 1999 to 2014. He had joined the Congress in 2009. However, he quit the party in 2019 and contested as BJP candidate from Indapur the same year, only to lose to Dattatrya Bharne of undivided NCP.