The rivalry within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) between the Pawars and the Mohite-Patils over the Madha Lok Sabha constituency in Solapur came to a head on Tuesday with Ranjitsinh Mohite-Patil, son of NCP MP Vijayshinh Mohite-Patil, set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Sources said, Mr. Ranjitsinh, who wasn’t given a ticket by the NCP from Madha, is expected to formally enter the BJP fold on Wednesday.

Ranjitsinh allegedly secretly met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and BJP leader Girish Mahajan in Mumbai late on Monday. He had also held parleys with Mr. Mahajan on the day Sujay Vikhe-Patil, son of Congressman Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, had joined the BJP.

Mr. Ranjitsinh had earlier, in a Facebook post, expressed anguish at failing to secure candidature from Madha and sought ‘guidance’ from supporters to decide on future action. “Your decision will be my decision, tell me what to do... Ought we merely to sit silent, keep tolerating or should we hit back for the sake of our future, progress and development?” he asked, calling for a meeting of his supporters.

In a show of strength, the father and son presided over a massive gathering of their supporters outside their residence in Akluj, Solapur. Mr. Mohite-Patil’s supporters lashed out against the allegedly “high-handed” treatment meted to the MP and his son by the NCP top brass. “While Parth Pawar [NCP leader and former Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s son] and MP Udayanraje Bhosale have been given tickets for the Maval and Satara Lok Sabha constituencies respectively, why have the Mohite-Patils been sidelined?” asked a supporter.

“Despite having a prominent role in expanding the NCP base, the Mohite-Patils have not been given their due…let Mr. Ranjitsinh join the BJP, we stand by him,” said another supporter.

Mr. Mohite-Patil, a prominent sugar baron and an oft-elected MLA (from Malshiras) who had also served as a Deputy CM, was among the few who held his own against the Modi ‘wave’ in the 2014 general election.

On March 11, after Mr. Pawar announced that he would not contest from Madha, it was expected that the ticket would be given to Mr. Mohite-Patil or his son. However, no candidate for Madha has been declared in the two lists announced by the NCP so far, arousing suspicion that the Mohite-Patils would be sidelined.

Mr. Ajit has been Mr. Ranjitsinh’s long-time adversary. This dates back to the founding of the NCP in 1999, when Ranjitsinh was the youth wing president of the fledgling NCP.

According to Mr. Mohite-Patil’s supporters, Mr. Ajit has always viewed Mr. Ranjitsinh as a threat and tried to drive him out of the political arena. As a result, Mr. Ranjitsinh, a former Rajya Sabha MP, has been sidelined by the NCP brass for nearly a decade.

Another powerful faction in Solapur, NCP legislator from Madha Assembly constituency Babanrao Shinde and his brother Sanjaymama Shinde, are also the Mohite-Patils’ rivals.

Observers say with many rival factions, it was a only a matter of time before the powerful, but increasingly isolated Mohite-Patils, joined the ruling party.

Mr. Ajit’s loyalists, on the other hand, said that Mr. Ranjitsinh’s defection to the BJP will have minimal impact on the NCP in Madha. “Over some years, Mr. Mohite-Patil’s hold over his constituency has weakened. So, we are not unduly worried if his son joins the BJP,” said an NCP leader.