Prajakt Tanpure, a leader from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and nephew of senior party figure Jayant Patil, is anticipated to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shortly, marking a notable political shift ahead of the Rahuri Assembly bypoll scheduled for April 24. Tanpure, a former MLA from Rahuri, has called a meeting of his supporters to officially announce his decision. He previously served as Minister of State for Urban Development and comes from a politically influential family in Ahilyanagar, with his father and grandfather having held significant positions in the area.

Tanpure was defeated in the last Assembly election and was reportedly eager to contest the upcoming bypoll on a BJP ticket. However, he was not nominated, as sympathy for the late Shivaji Kardile, the previous MLA, was expected to favor his son, Akshay Kardile, who is now the BJP candidate. After discussions with BJP leaders, Tanpure decided to withdraw from the race, hinting at his dissatisfaction with the NCP-SP's direction and the challenges of supporting his constituents without being in power. His anticipated move to the BJP has sparked speculation about the political future of his uncle, Jayant Patil.