Did Uddhav camp rope in Deshmukh to counter Rathod?

Yavatmal: With the entry of former BJP minister of state Sanjay Deshmukh in the Shiv Sena fold, political equations in Digras are set to change. The 2024 assembly elections are most likely to see Sanjay (Deshmukh) versus Sanjay (Rathod) here.
Even before Deshmukh returned to Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, speculation was rife over the former being unhappy in the present dispensation.
Deshmukh was a Shiv Sainik and even held the post of zilla pramukh. He had contested assembly election on Sena ticket, but was defeated. After being denied Sena ticket, he contested as an independent in 1999 against NCP’s Khwaja Baig and won the seat with a margin of 126 votes. He was later inducted in the state cabinet as a minister of state.
After the delimitation exercise, Digras-Darwha-Ner tehsils were clubbed together to form the present Digras assembly constituency.
Sanjay Rathod had contested 2009 election and won it. Even in 2014 and 2019, Rathod was elected, each time with increased margin.
Rathod was inducted as a minister of state for revenue in Thackeray cabinet. Later in 2019, he was elevated as a cabinet minister for forests. He had to resign after his name got embroiled in Banjara girl Pooja Chavan suicide case. After being cleared by investigating agencies in case, Rathod tried his best to convince then Sena chief and chief minister Uddhav Thackeray for his return to the cabinet, but it did not bear fruit.
Following the coup by Eknath Shinde supported by BJP, Rathod joined the Shinde camp and was inducted as cabinet minister for food and drugs administration.
Political observers here say Uddhav Thackeray has roped in Deshmukh in the Sena fold to avenge Rathod betraying his parent organization.
Sources say Thackeray is slated to visit Pohra Devi, a pilgrimage centre for the Banjara community to which Rathod belongs to. He is also likely to address a mammoth rally in Darwha, a stronghold of former MPCC president Manikrao Thakre.
With Deshmukh joining Sena, the next assembly elections are not likely to be a cakewalk for Rathod. A group of Banjara leaders and their followers are still “hostile” towards Rathod over his alleged involvement in the Pooja suicide case.