How Rahul Gandhi Intervened to Stop a Maharashtra Congress Leader From Joining the BJP

Former Congress MLA Rahul Bondre backed away from joining the BJP at the last minute after receiving a phone call from Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

The Phone Call

Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal connected Bondre to Gandhi on the phone just as the former MLA was set to join the BJP on Tuesday in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Bondre grew emotional during the call and told Gandhi that he would stand with him despite facing personal losses. Bondre later posted on social media that he was ready to sacrifice everything to stand with Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi assured him that the party would help counter what he called the BJP's intimidating tactics, telling Bondre that winning sometimes requires losing.

Local Rivalries And Inquiries

Bondre is a two-term former Congress MLA from Chikhli in the Buldhana district of western Vidarbha. He won the seat in 2009 and 2014, but lost subsequent elections to the BJP's Shweta Mahale by 6,810 votes in 2019 and 3,201 votes in 2024. He is also one of the last remaining Lingayat faces for the Congress in Maharashtra and comes from a family with generational loyalty to the party. Bondre's local political fight involves Shweta Mahale's husband, Vidyadhar Mahale, who is a senior official in the Chief Minister's office. Bondre had previously complained that Vidyadhar Mahale participated in the BJP poll campaign while holding a government post. Outside of politics, Bondre is tied to several credit societies, educational institutions, and a cotton mill. He has faced continuous business inquiries and notices over the past several years. Sources noted that his induction into the BJP was meant to weaken Harshvardhan Sapkal, who hails from the same Buldhana district and has sharply criticized the Mahayuti government and Chief Minister Fadnavis.