Mumbai, Aug 23 (IANS): Breaking silence over reports of two party leaders deserting the party, Maharashtra unit BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Friday said that both should keep patience before taking any extreme decision, adding the party wants them to stay in the camp.

Bawankule said this while reacting to reports that former Maharashtra Minister Harshvardhan Patil, who had joined the BJP after quitting Congress in the run-up to the assembly election in 2019, is mulling joining the Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction. Samarjit Singh Ghatge, another leader from Kagal in Kolhapur district, is also said to be thinking of switching to the NCP-SP.

"If they have made up their minds, we cannot stop them. However, if they keep some patience, the party will take a decision,’’ Bawankule told reporters.

"In the Grand Alliance, there are seats which will go to the NCP where the BJP leaders contested the last Assembly election. However, it seems these leaders do not want to remain with the party. We want them not to desert the party but remain with it. However, after all, if they have decided, we cannot stop them," said Bawankule.

"There are many leaders of Maha Vikas Aghadi... they will now come to the BJP fold. That does not mean they will get the ticket," he said, reiterating that Patil and Ghatge should keep patience before taking any extreme decision.

Bawankule's call also came at a time when the BJP's Kolhapur Rural District President Rahul Desai quit the post and is expected to desert the party.

It must be mentioned here that Harshvardhan Patil, who was the minister in the Congress-NCP (undivided) government, was expecting "rehabilitation" after his defeat in the 2019 Assembly election as a BJP nominee. However, due to his proximity with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, he remained in the BJP.

Patil is quite keen to contest from his home turf -- Indapur constituency -- in Pune district, but the seat is currently held by NCP legislator Datta Bharne.

During the seat sharing, NCP may not agree to leave the seat for Patil and therefore, he is mulling joining the NCP-SP.

In the case of Ghatge, who has been preparing for the last five years from the Kagal constituency, is firm to contest the upcoming Assembly election.

The Kagal seat is represented by NCP veteran leader and medical education minister Hasan Mushrif, who is going to contest again from the same seat.

Ghatge, though, held talks with the BJP leadership, he stuck to his guns.

He has already held talks with state NCP-SP chief Jayant Patil and is expected to switch sides soon.