Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil has said BJP would "welcome support" of NCP MP from Satara Udayanraje Bhosale for local elections.
"I know him for some time and if he is keen on supporting BJP for local elections, we will always welcome it. BJP is the party that made him minister first. We do reward people and their contribution," Patil told PTI when asked about BJP's stand on Udayanraje joining the party.
The statement assumes significance in the backdrop of speculations making round for quite some time that BJP is keen on inducting Udayanraje, a descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
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Earlier, NCP president Sharad Pawar during his visit last week to Satara had said, "Leaders working against NCP by remaining in the party should be rejected by people."
Pawar had made this statement after local NCP workers complained against Bhosale, who had floated a local political outfit ahead of the recently held election of Satara municipal council.
Among the defeated candidates of NCP was wife of Bhosale's cousin Shivendrasinh, who has been vocal against Udayanraje for quite some time now.
Earlier, late BJP leader Gopinath Munde had succeeded in inducting him into BJP and after winning the local MLA election, Bhosale was also made minister of state for revenue.
Later, Bhosale parted ways with BJP and joined NCP. He won 2014 general election for the second consecutive time though there was strong opposition to his candidature from inside the party.
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