Pimpri Chinchwad: MLA Ashwini Jagtap Refutes Claims of Leaving BJP, Says She Will Personally Campaign for Shankar Jagtap if Nominated

Reported by Varad Bhatkhande

Pimpri Chinchwad, 19th September 2024: Legislative Elections are approaching in Maharashtra, and political leaders, driven by their ambitions, are already looking out for themselves, with some even considering switching parties. There have been discussions about sitting Chinchwad MLA Ashwini Jagtap from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) possibly joining the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) to contest the elections. However, MLA Ashwini Jagtap has denied these rumours.

While addressing the rumours, MLA Ashwini Jagtap said, “The news of me changing parties is false. Someone has created this rumour, and the opposition is fueling it. After my husband passed away, the BJP trusted me, nominated me in the by-election, and got me elected. Through this, they paid tribute to my husband. He and Devendra Fadnavis were very good friends. Whenever Devendra Fadnavis came to this area, he always visited our home. So, leaving the party is not on my mind at all.”

There are also talks of a rift within the Jagtap family, as Ashwini Jagtap’s brother-in-law, Shankar Jagtap, who is the Pimpri Chinchwad City President for BJP, is also interested in contesting the elections. Addressing this, Ashwini Jagtap said, “If the party nominates my brother-in-law, Shankar Jagtap, I will personally campaign for him.”

Chinchwad’s Election Seat in High Demand

Late MLA Laxman Jagtap had left the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) when he was a close aide of Ajit Pawar and joined the BJP, where he was elected consecutively in 2014 and 2019. However, Laxman Jagtap was diagnosed with cancer and lost his battle with the illness on 3 January 2023. Following that, in the by-elections, BJP nominated his wife, Ashwini Jagtap, who defeated NCP’s Vitthal, aka Nana Kate, and Shiv Sena’s Rahul Kalate.

Shiv Sena experienced a split in 2022, and the NCP had a split in 2023. Both factions subsequently joined the BJP to form the Mahayuti Government. Now, with Ashwini Jagtap, Shankar Jagtap, Nana Kate, Shatrughna Kate, Rahul Kalate, Chandrakant Nakhate, and Bhausaheb Bhoir all part of the Mahayuti alliance and vying for the chance to contest the Chinchwad Constituency, drama is expected. Everyone across the state is eagerly anticipating what the future holds.