Mumbai, March 19: Days after his son joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), senior Congressman Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil resigned as Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Maharashtra Assembly ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, reports said. Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil has also resigned from the Congress party, some reports claimed.

If true, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil's resignation as LoP is a major setback for the Congress party which is facing a tough electoral contest from the BJP-Shiv Sena combine in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil's son Sujay Vikhe Patil joined the BJP on March 12 and is tipped to be its candidate from his preferred Ahmednagar Lok Sabha constituency.

The Vikhe-Patils, based in Ahmednagar district, are a formidable name in Maharashtra’s political history and also considered pioneers of the sugar co-operative movement in the state.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 19, 2019 02:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).