Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024: In a major jolt to the Congress ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024, the party’s Mumbai General Secretary Javed Shroff joined NCP in the presence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare. 

The Election Commission on Tuesday announced the schedule for the Maharashtra Assembly Elections. The poll panel announced that voting for the Maharashtra polls will be held in a single phase on November 20. The counting of votes will take place on November 23.

The move comes when the Congress is unifying its ranks in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, especially after the Haryana poll debacle. With an eye on strengthening alliances within the INDIA bloc, the party leadership has emphasized the importance of maintaining a cohesive front.

Congress MLA Hiraman Bhika Khoskar also joined the Ajit Pawar led-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday night. Khoskar and his supporters officially joined NCP in the presence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and NCP state president Sunil Tatkare. 

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"Hiraman Bhika Khoskar joined the NCP with dozens of his supporters including former Zila Parishad member Sampatnana Sakale in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Maharashtra NCP President Sunil Tatkare in Pune," NCP’s official statement read. 

Earlier, veteran actor Sayaji Shinde joined the party in Mumbai. Former Zilla Parishad member Jarnadan Mama Mali, Former Zilla Parishad member Uday Jadhav, Vinayak Malekar,  Sandeep Gopal Gulve, Sampatanana Sakale, Jairam Dhande, Prashant Kadu, Pandumama Shinde, Dnyaneshwar Kadu, Sarpanch Jagan Kadam, Feroze Shaikh, Dilip Chaudhary, Tukaram Sahane, Ramesh Jadhav, Dashrath Bhagde, Sudam Bhor, Arun Gaikar, Shivaji Sirsat also joined the NCP.