Independent Maharashtra MP meets Congress brass, extends support

NEW DELHI: Vishal Patil who has been elected as independent MP from Sangli in Maharashtra on Thursday met the Congress brass and extended his support to the party. The development is significant as Congress that was stuck at 99 MPs can claim support of 100 members, even if technically an independent cannot join a political party.

Within two days of getting elected, Vishal met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the capital. He also gave Kharge a letter extending support to the Congress.

Grandson of former Maharashtra chief minister Vasantdada Patil, Vishal contested as rebel after Congress ally Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena refused to concede the old Congress stronghold in the seat-sharing talks and fielded its own candidate. Vishal broke away from Congress, and romped home by over one lakh votes in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. “It did not become possible to contest on a Congress ticket, but people have voted for me taking into consideration the ideology of Congress,” he said.

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