Supporters of rebel Maharashtra minister Rajendra Patil-Yadravkar, who is camping with the Eknath Shinde-led group in Guwahati, and Shiv Sena workers came face to face with each other at Kolhapur on Monday.
The police intervened and averted any untoward incident.
The supporters of Yadravkar, an independent MLA from Shirol in Kolhapur, came out to back him in Jaysingpur town, and a group of Sena workers also tried to stage a protest near the spot, according to the police.
Shailesh Balkawade, Kolhapur superintendent of police, told PTI that Yadravkar’s supporters gathered outside the MLA’s office. The police stopped the Sena workers, who were approaching the spot, about 200 metres away.
“Heavy security has been deployed. The police are ensuring that the two sides do not clash,” Balkawade said
Majority of the Sena MLAs have sided with Shinde and are currently camping in Guwahati, plunging the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who heads the Sena, into a crisis.
(With agency inputs)
{{/usCountry}}(With agency inputs)
{{/usCountry}}Shinde gets support from native village in Satara
The residents of Dare village in Satara district, the native place of Eknath Shinde, have decided to back their leader saying he is “people’s man”.
The people from the village with around 80 households said they are standing strongly behind Shinde and want to see him become the state’s chief minister soon. Although Shinde, 58, hails from Satara, he has established himself as a key Sena leader in the Thane-Palghar region adjoining Mumbai.
“We are standing strong with Shinde saheb. There is no other person like him. He reaches every household and helps the poor and needy. Our best wishes are always with him,” said Rupesh Shinde, a villager. He said the leader often visits his native place and the last time was a month ago.
Ganesh Utekar, a Shiv Sena functionary from Mahabaleshwar tehsil and a resident of Dare village, “It has been our experience that whatever decisions Shinde saheb has taken so far, all of them turned out to be right. The work and contribution made by Shinde saheb make us express our love and gratitude towards him. The decision taken by Shinde saheb is appropriate and, as a village, we are with him.”