Mumbai: In a severe jolt to the Congress, MLC Pradnya Satav, wife of late MP Rajeev Satav, is all set to join the BJP, sources claimed on Wednesday. She is likely to quit her membership of the Legislative Council on Thursday to facilitate the switchover.
With this development, the Congress is set to lose its claim to the post of Leader of Opposition in the Upper House, party sources said. As per the current strength in the Council, the Congress is the largest party on the Opposition benches with seven members. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has six members after Ambadas Danve completed his term in August, while the NCP (SP) has three members.
If Satav quits, the Congress’s strength will be reduced to six, making it difficult for the party to stake a claim to the post of Leader of Opposition. Soon after reports of Satav’s decision surfaced, Congress leaders attempted to persuade her to reconsider, but she is believed to have conveyed her desire to switch over to the BJP.
Congress MLC Satej alias Bunty Patil said he had spoken to her and claimed that she would not quit the party. However, later in the evening, Satav’s phone was switched off, adding to the speculation.
Satav was re-nominated by the Congress in July last year after completing her first tenure. Her current term is scheduled to expire in 2030.
Late Rajeev Satav was known as a close associate of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, at whose insistence he headed the All India Youth Congress. Rajeev Satav’s mother, Rajani Satav, was a Congress MLA from Kalamnuri (Parbhani) and also served as a minister of state in the cabinet in the 1980s.
Party leaders are reluctant to speak openly on the issue.
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