Overview

• Jagtap resigned as Pune district Congress president days before formally joining the BJP in Saswad on July 16
• He was accompanied by a group of supporters who he said backed the switch to secure local development projects
• The induction was overseen by Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan to showcase party unity and local influence
• State Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal accused the BJP of hollowing out Congress by poaching its leaders and insisted the party’s ideology remains intact
• The defection deepens BJP’s dominance in Pune district, where Congress currently holds no legislative seats