A rift is brewing within the Raju Shetti-led Swabhimani Paksha after the farmer leader and former MP was reported to have accepted the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)’s offer for a berth in the Legislative Council from the Governor’s quota.
Some leaders of the party were unhappy with Mr. Shetti’s decision, saying he should instead have allowed a senior leader to be nominated as MLC. Mr. Shetti, who is a former MP from Hatkanangale, has said he would not accept the nomination if his decision upsets his colleagues.
Earlier this week, Mr. Shetti visited Mr. Pawar in Baramati and had accepted the NCP’s offer of the MLC seat amid much bonhomie.
The visit did not go down well with two senior Swabhimani Paksha leaders — Savkar Madnaik and Jalindar Patil — believed to be close to Mr. Shetti.
Both leaders, aspirants to the MLC berth, alleged that Mr. Shetti did not take them into confidence.
On his part, the Swabhimani Paksha chief said he was hurt by such “unwarranted accusations” and took to social media to express his feelings.
“The party [Swabhimani Paksha] is one big family. If an MLC nomination can make my close relatives [Mr. Patil and Mr. Madnaik] drift away from me, then why should I accept it?” Mr. Shetti wrote in an emotional Facebook post on Thursday.
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