Ahead of BMC elections 2026, the Congress Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Pradnya Satav joined the BJP on Thursday.
The former Congress leader made this move hours after submitting her resignation from the Upper House of the Maharashtra legislature.
While talking to the media on Thursday, Pradnya said, “My late husband, Rajeev, had certain plans for the development of Hingoli district. I want to fulfil those plans by working with the BJP,” as reported by news agency PTI.
Reacting to Pradnya’s resignation from the Congress, the party accused the BJP of not respecting democracy and breaking parties with money and posts.
As reported by news agency PTI, MLC Pradnya Satav joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Maharashtra BJP chief Ravindra Chavan and Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule.
Pradnya Satav, who is the wife of the late Rajiv Satav, a congressman and close confidant of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, hails from the Hingoli district in the state`s Marathwada region. She was first elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Council in 2021.
Satav’s switch in the midst of local body elections is being seen as a setback to the Congress and can hamper their performance in the upcoming elections as well.
Pradnya Satav had served as Maharashtra Congress Vice President
After her husband`s death, Satav served as vice president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee. She was re-nominated to the legislative council in July last year, and her term was to end in 2030.
Earlier on Thursday, Satav submitted her resignation as an MLC to the legislature secretariat after speaking to Legislative Council Chairman Ram Shinde, sources said. Besides her, former MLA from Solapur district Dilip Mane also joined the BJP, reported PTI.
The development came ahead of the January 15 elections for 29 municipal corporations in the state.
Senior Congress leader Nana Patole told the media in Nagpur that the BJP has become arrogant due to power and no longer respects democratic norms.
Nana Patole emphasised, “Only time will tell what inducements she (Satav) got. The BJP has started a new dimension: `money from power, and power from money`, as cited by news agency PTI.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi had talked of a Congress-free India, but he has included the Congress in the BJP. If we come to power, this BJP will become empty in no time,” Nana Patole further added.
(With inputs from PTI)
