Former Union Minister Suryakanta Patil
Former Union Minister Suryakanta Patil has resigned from the primary membership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).“I have learned a lot in the last 10 years, I am thankful to the party,’’ she said after quitting.
Patil, who joined the BJP in 2014 after leaving the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, made the announcement shortly after the party’s disappointing performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Patil, a four-time MP from the Hingoli-Nanded constituency and once an MLA, had sought BJP’s nomination for the Lok Sabha elections in Marathwada’s Hingoli constituency but did not receive the ticket. Expressing dissatisfaction on social media following the decision, she had been allocated the role of poll chief for the Hadgaon Himayatnagar assembly constituency during the general elections.
The seat-sharing arrangement saw the Hingoli seat being allocated to Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, a decision that likely contributed to Patil’s departure from the BJP.
The Shiv Sena had lost the Hingoli seat to the Uddhav Thackeray led faction.
Patil has represented the Hingoli-Nanded constituency four times as MP and once as MLA. She was the minister of state for rural development and parliamentary affairs during the UPA government.
