Shinde calls meeting of Raigad Sena MLAs; complaints against Tatkare likely to come up

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is expected to hold a meeting with all legislators of Raigad district at his Nandanvan residence this (Friday) evening. All Shiv Sena MLAs from Raigad are said to be due to attend, and Ramdas Kadam is also likely to come. The meeting is described as a Diwali greetings get-together.

The news comes at a time when Parth Pawar, MP of Sunetra Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party, has called a meeting of Pune legislators. After Parth Pawar, Shinde too has now moved into meeting mode.

Over the past few days, Ramdas Kadam and Bharat Gogawale have sharply criticised Sunil Tatkare. Kadam made serious allegations against Tatkare over Ajit Pawar's accident. The remarks showed friction within the Mahayuti. Senior sources described as reliable have said the Raigad meeting will discuss the complaints made against Tatkare in recent days. Tatkare's interference in the district plan and other important matters is also likely to come up.

According to sources, Shinde is currently in Dare village and the meeting is likely to take place after he reaches Mumbai in the evening.

For the past few days, discord has been visible in Raigad between the Shinde faction and Sunetra Pawar's NCP. Kadam had publicly rebuked Tatkare's brother-in-law on stage. Kadam then made serious allegations against Tatkare at a press conference. He alleged that, despite being in the Mahayuti, Tatkare had secretly helped Thackeray-faction MLA Bhaskar Jadhav in the election. Kadam also alleged that Tatkare had a hand in Ajit Dada's accident. Tatkare then said he would send Kadam a legal notice.

On the other side, Minister Bharat Gogawale claimed that Ramdas Kadam had tried to get Sunil Tatkare given a ticket. Against the backdrop of this dispute, today's meeting in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Shinde is seen as important.