After having snapped up some members of Maratha royal families from Kolhapur and Satara, the Bharatiya Janata Party would induct Udayanraje Bhosale, the 13th direct descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, on Saturday in New Delhi. Bhosale, a Nationalist Congress Partys Member of Parliament from Satara, announced the decision on Friday. It would be homecoming for Udayanraje because the then BJP legislator had served as a junior minister in the Shiv Sena-BJPs first alliance government in 1998. He hasnt lost any election so far. Udayanraje would join the CMs Mahajanadesh Yatra in Western Maharashtra a day after. The Maratha scion was appointed by NCP boss Sharad Pawar to jointly lead the partys outreach yatra with actor-turned-MP Amol Kolhe. However, after traveling a couple of days of August, Udayanraje did not resume the yatra which was a replication of the CMs pan-Maharashtra road travel that started its third leg on Friday. Also Read: BJP defends FMs remarks on auto sector slump Apparently, the royals induction has happened because of the BJPs intention of sweeping Western Maharashtra — once NCPs bastion — in 2019 Assembly polls. The BJP increased its MPs tally in the region in 2019. It wishes to surpass 2014 Assembly gains in the October polls. Satara was the only district in the developed region which didnt have a single BJP legislator in the lower house. Heir to the Marathas Kolhapur royal seat, Sambhajiraje Bhosale was the first from the revered Maratha royal family to accept BJPs offer. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2016 and made head of the state-run agency that has been formed exclusively for restoring and developing historical forts in Maharashtra. Sources said Sambhajiraje hasnt been very happy of late because of the turn of events. A low-profile prince helped the BJP government in getting a required traction during the Maratha reservation struggle. "He may not have said it publically, but he definitely expected something more from the BJP. Instead, his significance to the party is at stake with a flamboyant Udayanrajes entry," said a BJP leader from Kolhapur, adding that the prince felt he was increasingly ignored by the BJP leadership. Also Read: Sanjay Raut: Dont join Shiv Sena-BJP just for a ministerial birth Ex-cop joins Sena Encounter specialist inspector Pradeep Sharma who sought voluntary retirement from the police service, joined the Shiv Sena today. He is expected to contest Assembly polls from Nallasopara. Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

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