India, Dec. 24 -- Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday attracted more leaders from both the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), further weakening the Opposition's organisational base at the local level.

On Tuesday, NCP-SP leader Rahul Kalate, a prominent face from Pimpri-Chinchwad, joined the BJP in Mumbai. Kalate was the runner-up in the recent Assembly elections from Chinchwad, where he had contested against BJP candidate and sitting MLA Shankar Jagtap.

The induction took place at the BJP office in the presence of state BJP president Ravindra Chavan and Shankar Jagtap. Kalate is expected to contest the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) elections from Ward No. 25, which ...