Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar, Shekhar Gore hold midnight meeting ahead of Satara district bank polls
The hour-long talks at a hotel have set Satara's politics buzzing as seat-sharing and panel-making for the district bank election near a key stage.
A midnight meeting between senior leader Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) leader Shekhar Gore has become a major talking point in Satara politics, just as the arithmetic of the Satara District Central Co-operative Bank election reaches a crucial turn.
The two leaders reportedly sat face to face for about an hour and a quarter at Hotel Preeti. Curiosity has since grown over what manoeuvring is going on behind the scenes in the district bank election.
Scrutiny of nomination papers is nearing completion and work on the final shape of the panels has begun. Meanwhile, constituents of the Mahayuti are pulling in different directions over seat-sharing. The BJP is insisting on more seats, while the equation will also have to take into account the strength of the Shinde faction and the other allies. This adds to the significance of the meeting between Ramraje and Gore.
Shekhar Gore recently left Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena and joined the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. After this change, his meeting with Ramraje could also give a new context to the equations in Maan-Khatav.
Another point is worth noting. Shekhar Gore and BJP minister Jaykumar Gore are brothers, and the political clash between them is no secret. All eyes are therefore also on which way Shekhar Gore leans in the district bank election.
The question now is what was actually discussed at the meeting. There is no official information on whether the talks covered candidatures for the district bank, constituency-wise equations or possible adjustments within the Mahayuti. Even so, curiosity remains over whether this midnight meeting, held just before the election, will prove to be the start of political moves to come.
