India, April 19 -- Former Congress MLA from Bhor assembly constituency, Sangram Thopate, is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) very soon. Sangram Thopate recently met union home minister Amit Shah in Pune.

Leaders from both the BJP and Congress on condition of anonymity confirmed the development. Sangram Thopate is likely to officially join the BJP next week in the presence of the party's national and state-level leadership in Mumbai.

Historically, the Thopates have been Congress loyalists. Sangram Thopate's father, Anantrao Thopate, was a six-term MLA from the same assembly constituency and former minister in the state government.

Earlier, there was political rivalry between Anantrao Thopate and Nationalist Congress Party...