Pawar tweets about ex-Sena leader joining NCP, deletes later

A tweet on NCP chief SharadPawars Twitter account on Friday informed about a formerShiv Sena leader from Solapur joining the party, but it wasdeleted later.Mahesh Kothe, a former Sena leader, and hisassociates met Pawar here but did not join the party, sourcessaid.As Sena, NCP and Congress share power in Maharashtra,workers and leaders of one party crossing over to another hascreated tensions in the alliance in the past.Media reports said Kothe on Thursday announced that hewas leaving the Shiv Sena.

A tweet on NCP chief SharadPawar's Twitter account on Friday informed about a formerShiv Sena leader from Solapur joining the party, but it wasdeleted later.

Mahesh Kothe, a former Sena leader, and hisassociates met Pawar here but did not join the party, sourcessaid.

As Sena, NCP and Congress share power in Maharashtra,workers and leaders of one party crossing over to another hascreated tensions in the alliance in the past.

Media reports said Kothe on Thursday announced that hewas leaving the Shiv Sena. On Friday, the Sena's Solapur unitannounced his expulsion.

Pawar, in a tweet in Marathi on Friday, said, ''Leaderof Opposition in Solapur Municipal Corporation Mahesh Kotheand his colleagues joined the Nationalist Congress Partytoday. Welcome all into the party and the Maha Vikas Aghadi.'' But later the tweet disappeared.

''Kothe met Pawar, but did not join the party. So thetweet was deleted by Pawar's social media team,'' said an NCPsource.

In another tweeet, Pawar said that Solapur cityused to follow the ideology of leaders like Mahatma Gandhiand Jawaharlal Nehru, but its face ''changed' due to somepeople inspired by the BJP's ideology.

Kothe and his associates are working to solve issuesfaced by the people, Pawar said.

Last year, five Shiv Sena councilors from Parner inAhmednagar district joined the NCP, creating a flutterwithin the ruling alliance. The councilors, however, returnedto the Shiv Sena later.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)