BJP Braces for Setback in Jalgaon as MP Unmesh Patil Meets Sanjay Raut, Likely to Join Thackeray Sena

BJP MP Unmesh Patil is likely to join Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena after he was denied a ticket for the Lok Sabha elections. Patil is in Mumbai to meet Sanjay Raut. With this development, the Thackeray faction is also preparing to give a tough blow to the BJP in Jalgaon. 

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Unmesh Patil is an MP from Jalgaon. For the upcoming election, the BJP has cut Patil's ticket and fielded former MLA Smita Wagh as a candidate. Patil had internal opposition from the BJP. In the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the Jalgaon seat has gone to the Thackeray group. Dr Harshal Mane and former mayor Kulbhushan Patil are among the aspirants from the Thackeray faction. 

The Thackeray group is yet to announce its candidate for Jalgaon. The meeting between Unmesh Patil and Raut is considered important. Unmesh Patil was upset after the BJP denied him a ticket. 

What happened in 2019?
Unmesh Patil, BJP MLA from Jalgaon constituency, won by a margin of 4,11,617 votes. Patil got 7,13,874 votes while his rival NCP candidate and former minister Gulabrao Deokar got 3,02,257 votes. Unmesh Patil had won the Chalisgaon Assembly election at the age of 36 without any prior experience in politics. He later became an MP.