By IANS
Nagpur : Senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Datta Meghe is all set to join the Shiv Sena after he met Sena’s executive president Uddhav Thackeray here.
The duo met here Monday, and while the ostensible purpose of the NCP Rajya Sabha member’s meeting with Thackeray was to extend an invitation for a function of Vidarbha Vikas Parishad (a non-political platform), Meghe actually went up to the Shiv Sena leader to say “yes” to the latter’s invitation to join his party, said a source close to Meghe.
Thackeray and Meghe later confirmed to the media that they had met, but didn’t reveal the details of their meeting.
Uneasy in the NCP for some time in spite of his close and long standing relationship with party president Sharad Pawar, Meghe has already quit all party posts and apprised the leader of his intention to part company after completing his Rajya Sabha term in April next year, the source said.
The 69-year old Meghe’s unhappiness stems from Pawar’s reluctance to give him a clear promise of another Rajya Sabha term, the source said.
“The question then was to choose from the offer of a ticket from the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena,” the source told IANS.
While Meghe feels the Shiv Sena’s offer is the most reliable of the three — given the party’s unitary command — the party, unlike the BJP, also has room to accommodate all Meghe’s followers who would like to join, the source added.
“Moreover, it would not pose any danger to the political career of his son Sagar Meghe, who is a BJP member of Maharashtra Legislative Council, the two parties being allies,” he added.
“Shiv Sena’s position against creation of a separate Vidarbha state would also not be an issue for Meghe since he has reconciled to the fact that it does not enjoy popular support in the region,” he argued.
Meghe, who was elected to Lok Sabha on a Congress ticket from Nagpur, Wardha and Ramtek, enjoys considerable following in Vidarbha where Shiv Sena is trying to broaden its political base.
Meanwhile, another NCP heavyweight Chhagan Bhujbal too is itching to leave the party ever since his isolation over the infamous Telgi stamp-paper scam in the state.
The Public Works Department minister, who held home portfolio when the scam involving senior police officers broke out, is, however, biding his time, sources indicated.