Loyalists sidelined in BJP, says Jayant Patil

PUNE: NCP state president Jayant Patil on Thursday said there was a growing disquiet in BJP over long-time loyalists being sidelined, reacting to speculations that BJP leaders Pankaja Munde and Pritam Munde were not happy with the party.
"Though it is an internal issue of BJP, disquiet is currently its biggest problem. Some leaders left our party or Congress and joined BJP.Now, the party (BJP) does not know how to strike a balance between newcomers and its loyalists," he said.
"You never know when the Eknath Shinde faction will also join BJP. More the newcomers enter the party, loyalists will be sidelined," Patil said, while interacting with reporters in Solapur.
On NCP losing the national party status, he said, "We have entered in alliance with some parties in other states. Therefore, we decided not to contest elections in those states. We had to pay its price through losing the national party status. We will regain that status soon."