Pune: A controversy is brewing in Indapur over former minister Harshvardhan Patil, who recently joined the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) after stints in both Congress and BJP, and his continued control over the Indapur Congress Bhavan.

Despite leaving Congress, Patil has yet to relinquish possession of the Congress Bhavan property, causing a stir within the Congress ranks.

Sanjay Jagtap, the Congress MLA from Purandar and Pune District Congress Committee President, has raised strong objections against Patil’s potential candidacy in the upcoming state assembly elections.

Jagtap has demanded that the NCP (SP) refuse Patil a ticket to contest from the Indapur constituency, citing the unresolved issue of Congress Bhavan’s control.

Jagtap revealed that when Patil left Congress, not only did he fail to return possession of the Indapur Congress Bhavan, but he also caused damage to parts of the building’s interior.

Furthermore, Jagtap alleged that the property has been wrongfully listed under the Indapur Taluka Congress Charitable Trust through the manipulation of official property documents, including city survey papers, property records, and land maps.

This matter is causing concern within Congress, especially as the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, which includes Congress, has allocated the Indapur seat to the NCP (SP) for the upcoming October-November state legislative elections.

Patil, who recently joined this faction, is expected to contest from Indapur. However, Jagtap and other local Congress leaders believe that until Patil returns the Congress Bhavan property, he should not be considered for candidacy.

Jagtap further stated that this issue would be made known to voters in the Indapur constituency, with many local Congress leaders and workers backing the call to deny Patil the opportunity to contest unless the property issue is resolved.