Belagavi: Even as several MLAs from the BJP are gearing up to join the JD(S) in Belagavi district, five-time Belagavi mayor and sitting MLA Sambhaji Patil has given hints that he may join the Congress.
A staunch supporter of the pro-Maharashtra stand on the boundary dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra, Patil is upset with the tussle in Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) and may switch to the ruling party.
Though he has not declared as yet that he is joining the Congress, he has clearly indicated that he is upset with groupism in the MES and will contest the next election on a national party ticket.
Patil was a member of the Congress for several years before joining MES after his loss in the Assembly elections on Congress ticket a decade ago.
While exposing the ongoing tussle between leaders in MES on social media, he said the samiti has become a divided house. “I have to consider my political career and the fact that the polls will be here soon. I may have to contest from a national party if the uncertainty continues,” he added. The former mayor has always been controversial because of his hard stand on the boundary dispute. Besides leading pro-Maharashtra agitations, Patil has faced opposition from the BJP and Congress for playing an active role in anti-Karnataka protests on Rajyotsava Day.
