Former Maharashtra minister Prajakt Tanpure from Ahilyanagar on Saturday quit the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and joined the ruling BJP, stating that the move was taken after consultations with his supporters amid concerns over their political future, and had no connection with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into the Maharashtra State Co-operative (MSC) Bank fraud case in 2022.
The ED had attached Tanpure's land in the alleged scam. Tanpure and his father were discharged from the money laundering case last month after a special PMLA court accepted the closure report filed in the underlying MSCB scam.
The Rahuri strongman joined the saffron party in Mumbai in the presence of BJP state unit chief Ravindra Chavan and former Lok Sabha member Sujay Vikhe Patil.
Speaking on the occasion, he said, "Today I have joined the BJP. This decision has been taken after discussions with all my supporters."
Tanpure clarified that he has no immediate ambition for a ministerial post, that his decision to switch sides was not easy, and denied that it was driven by fear of central agencies.
"This was not an easy decision. I still feel the pain of leaving the NCP (SP). There are reasons behind joining the BJP. I had shared my concerns with Jayant Patil earlier. I am not joining the BJP out of fear of the ED... The notice to our factory has been nullified, so that issue no longer exists," he explained.
The former minister of state for urban development and energy in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government said he had been in the opposition for the past several years, and his workers were increasingly concerned about their political survival.
"I have taken a big decision. This is not mine alone, but that of my workers who have stood by me. After years of struggle outside power, they feel their political existence is at stake. Somewhere, political work survives with the support of power," he said.
He said he did not have the courage to speak to NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar or party leader Jayant Patil about his move, but had conveyed his position to party MP Supriya Sule.
Tanpure added that while not all views within a party may align, one must move ahead with ideas that resonate. His induction is expected to bolster the BJP's position in Rahuri and the wider Ahilyanagar region, where the Tanpure family wields considerable influence.