Thaindian News

Mumbai, Jan 20 (IANS) In a sudden development, Shiv Sena MP Anand Paranjpe Friday met union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on the eve of the filing of nominations in the zilla parishad polls.

As Pawar was addressing a party meet here, Paranjpe, who represents Kalyan, walked in with a bouquet of flowers and said that he seeks the NCP chief’s support in addressing “developmental issues” of the Thane district.

Making a dramatic entry at the meeting, Paranjpe said that unlike earlier when the Shiv Sena was a family, it is not the case now. “The only name that came to me when I thought about development issues was that of Pawar saheb and I have come to meet him,” he said.

“Paranjpe has come to us to seek our cooperation in solving the local developmental issues. This is not something against his party. He just met us for development issues,” Pawar said.

However, Paranjpe indicated his desire to move out of the Shiv Sena. “Loyal Shiv Sainiks are being sidelined in today’s Sena. The Sena which Bal Thackeray wanted is no more,” he said.

On Thursday, the Bharatiya Janata Party also received a major setback as its senior leader Gopinath Munde’s elder brother Pandit Anna Munde quit the party to join the NCP.

Announcing his entry into the NCP in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Munde vowed to defeat the BJP in the forthcoming Beed Zilla Parishad polls.

Earlier last month, Gopinath Munde had also received a severe jolt on his home turf when the party’s official nominee Jugalkishor Lohiya lost the Parli Municipal Council president’s election to Deepak Deshmukh, supported by his nephew and BJP legislator Dhananjay Munde.

Dhananjay formed a separate group of 12 BJP councillors and managed to install a former BJP man, Deshmukh, as council president with the help from 14 NCP-Congress councillors in Parli.