Sandeep Naik, the Navi Mumbai BJP district chief and two-time MLA, has joined the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) after being denied a ticket by the BJP to contest the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections from the Belapur constituency.

Naik was welcomed into the party at Vashi’s Vishnudas Bhave auditorium by NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) state chief, Jayant Patil. He is now expected to be the NCP (SP) candidate from Belapur.

Interestingly, Naik's father, former Maharashtra minister Ganesh Naik, remains the BJP candidate for the neighbouring Airoli constituency, The Indian Express reported.

The BJP’s first list of 99 candidates for the upcoming elections includes Manda Mhatre as the party’s choice for the Belapur seat, leaving Sandeep Naik without a ticket. Sandeep had earlier expressed his intention to contest from Belapur, having previously won the Airoli constituency for the undivided NCP in 2009 and 2014.

However, in 2019, he switched to the BJP but did not contest in that year’s Assembly elections.

Ganesh Naik, while acknowledging his son's decision, stated that Sandeep was free to chart his own political path and that he would not interfere with his move away from the BJP.

The BJP's candidate list also features prominent leaders like Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who will contest from Nagpur South West, and state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who will stand from Kamthi.

The Maharashtra Assembly elections to elect 288 MLAs are set to be held in a single phase on November 20, with vote counting scheduled for November 23.