Former Shiv Sena MP Adhalrao Patil declares support for CM Shinde's faction

Shiv Sena leader and former MP from Pune district Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil and his followers on Tuesday declared support for the party faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Addressing a press conference here after holding a meeting with Sena leaders from the district, Adhalrao Patil announced the decision. On July 3, he was removed from the party which pained him, he said.

''Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray called me to say that my expulsion from the party has been revoked by issuing a corrigendum. Two days later, I and the party's Pune district chief Sharad Sonawane met the party leadership at the Sena Bhavan (Sena HQ) and told them that it was unpalatable that I was removed only for posting a congratulatory message on social media for Eknath Shinde when he became CM,'' said the three-term Lok Sabha MP.

In this meeting, senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut asked him to contest the next Lok Sabha election from Pune city instead of his traditional constituency Shirur, and Thackeray endorsed the offer, Patil said.

But he and others were also asked to get along with the Nationalist Congress Party, he claimed. Patil had lost to the NCP's Amol Kolhe from Shirur in 2019.

''We suggested that instead of going with NCP, we should contest all 288 (Maharashtra Assembly) seats. But we were told that it was not possible and we will have to go with NCP,'' Patil said.

It was not acceptable for him and his followers from the Shirur constituency to cooperate with the NCP which was trying to finish off Shiv Sena for the last several years, he added.

''When Uddhav ji became CM, we thought the struggle of Shiv Sena will end, we will get power, we will get development funds but nothing of that sort happened in the last three years (when Sena-NCP-Congress coalition was in power in Maharashtra), Patil said.

He alleged that the NCP tried to ''weaken'' Shiv Sena. ''We complained about this from time to time to the senior leadership but did not get justice,'' Patil claimed.

He alleged that a conspiracy was afoot to stich this alliance way back in 2009, but it could not materialise as Shirur constituency became the ''stumbling block.'' He was asked not to contest from Shirur as ''Pawar saheb'' (NCP chief Sharad Pawar) wanted to contest from there, he claimed.

''We decided to go with Shinde as we do not want NCP and we want security and stability for the Shiv Sena,'' he said.

On July 3, a news report carried by the Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said that Patil was no longer in the party. But Sena secretary Vinayak Raut then said in a statement that the report was wrong.