A Dhangar community leader Gopichand Padalkar, who left Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi on Monday joined BJP and will be fielded against NCP leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar from Baramati assembly constituency. Padalkar's nomination was announced by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who said he will seek high command's approval for the same. For Padalkar, it is Ghar Vapasi as he had left BJP and later joined Rashtriya Samaj Paksha and VBA. The development is a big setback for Prakash Ambedkar's party VBA in which Padalkar was a core leader. While inducting Padalkar into the BJP, Fadnavis said, "He is like a tiger, who should challenge a major established leader. If he is ready, I will try to field him from Baramati Assembly seat." Padalkar told DNA,'' I am fully prepared to contest in Baramati constituency after BJP decides to nominate me. I do not see any problem in taking on Ajit Pawar. The fight will be quite interesting to watch.'' He informed that he had fought the assembly elections in 2009 and 2014 and recently contested Lok Sabha election held inMay 2019 on VBA ticket from Sangli seat and bagged over three lakh votes. Padalkar clarified that there is no difference between him and Ambedkar. ''However, for my people, BJP is doing many things. For the betterment of Maharashtra, we should all support BJP. For our samaj (read Dhangar), CM Devendra Fadnavis has accepted all demands," he noted. BJP aims to lure the Dhangar voters who are about 60,000 of the total 3.40 lakh voters in Baramati which is the pocket borough of NCP chief Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar. By giving candidature to Padalkar, BJP also proposes to attract Dhangar community in the Daund and Indapur constituencies from Pune district. BJP's move to nominate Padalkar is crucial as the party-led government has failed to provide quota to the Dhangar community as promised before the last assembly election held on October 2014. The state government, however, has recently made a provision of Rs 1,000 crore for the implementation of 13 different schemes for the welfare and development of the Dhangar community. On his part, NCP leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said he will make all efforts to re-elect from Baramati seat. He observed that voters don't cast votes based on castes. ''I will file my nomination papers on October 4,'' he added. Ajit Pawar had hogged the limelight after he resigned as legislator last week citing that he was pained after his uncle and party chief Sharad Pawar's name was figured in the offence registered by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam. He had hinted that he may retire from the electoral politics. However, after NCP chief's intervention Ajit Pawar decided to contest from Baramati and also participated in the seat-sharing talks with Congress party.

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