Shivtare meets CM after waiting for 7 hours

The disgruntled leader met Shinde at his official residence Varsha in the evening after being made to wait for nearly seven hours, following which he said he would remain silent for two more days

Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader and former minister of state Vijay Shivtare, who had threatened to contest from Baramati owing to differences with deputy chief minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar, was summoned by chief minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday. The disgruntled leader met Shinde at his official residence Varsha in the evening after being made to wait for nearly seven hours, following which he said he would remain silent for two more days.

Pune, India - September 8, 2019: Vijay Shivtare MLA from Purandar Assembly Constituency (HT Photo)

The BJP- Shiv Sena-NCP ruling alliance has already decided to field Pawar’s wife Sunetra from Baramati with an eye on defeating NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule on her home turf. Shivtare, who has been blaming Ajit Pawar for his defeat in the 2019 assembly polls, recently threatened to disrupt the direct fight within the Pawar family. He also held meetings with his supporters to firm up his plans, following which the NCP threatened to put up a candidate against Eknath Shinde’s son Shrikant Shinde in Kalyan.

Speaking to the media after meeting the chief minister with his supporters, Shivtare told reporters that though the talks were positive, his feelings for Ajit Pawar remained the same.

“We told the CM that we have trouble at the local level and he heard us. I have decided to wait for two more days, after which a small group among us will meet him again. But my feelings (for Ajit Pawar) are the same,” he said.