Vijay Shivtare meets CM, Dy CMs; likely to change stand

He had earlier announced that he would contest the Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate from the Baramati LS constituency

Shiv Sena leader Vijay Shivtare, who had announced that he would contest the Lok Sabha (LS) elections as an independent candidate from the Baramati LS constituency, is likely to change his stand after having met chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar Wednesday evening.

Earlier, Shivtare (second from left) had announced that he would contest as an independent candidate from Baramati. (HT PHOTO)

While Shivtare hasn’t reacted after the meeting, he is likely to clarify his stand on Friday, sources close to him said.

As the Shiv Sena leader met the chief minister and his two deputies, pictures of the meeting went viral. Despite attempts, Shivtare could not be reached for comment. Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders sent photos of the meeting where a smiling Shivtare is being handed a letter by Shinde, Fadnavis and Pawar.

On March 26, Shiv Sena initiated the process to serve a show cause notice to Shivtare for defying the party line and using ‘objectionable’ language against an alliance partner leader. The party has asked Shivtare to submit a written reply to the show cause notice served to him within three days.

Traditionally, Shivtare, who hails from Purandar, and Pawar are political rivals in the Baramati parliamentary constituency. In the last assembly election, Pawar had openly challenged Shivtare and warned that he would defeat the latter in the 2019 elections. Subsequently, Shivtare was defeated from the Purandar assembly constituency. In the past, Shivtare has had heated arguments with MP Supriya Sule, too, on various occasions.