Mr. Karad’s volte-face has taken the NCP by surprise as he had joined the party just five days back expressing unhappiness with the BJP. Mr. Karad, considered to be close to BJP’s Pankaja Munde, had filed his nomination on May 2, the day he joined the NCP. I will clarify my reasons for doing so in the coming days,” Mr. Karad told reporters in Osmanabad. Taking a swipe at his former party, Mr. Dhas said the NCP did not have enough candidates to field. For now, with Mr. Karad’s withdrawal, Ms. Pankaja Munde seems to have turned the tables on her estranged cousin.

Source: The Hindu May 07, 2018 19:29 UTC