Latur, Jan 12 (PTI) Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sambhaji Patil Nilangekar on Thursday said functionaries below the age of 35 must prepare to fight civic polls as the party wants to field youth.

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The MLA from Nilanga in Latur and former state minister was speaking at a 'yuva morcha' of the BJP here.

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The party wants to give 80 per cent tickets in local body polls to youngsters, he claimed.

He also refuted speculation here that Congress MLA Amit Deshmukh may join the BJP.

Without taking anyone's name, Nilangekar said the BJP will not allow a "prince" to join as it wanted common citizens to come into the party fold.

Deshmukh is the son of former chief minister and Congress stalwart late Vilasrao Deshmukh.

He is three-time MLA from Latur city and was minister in the Uddhav Thackeray government.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)