Shinde Sena MLA Sarvankar appointed Siddhivinayak temple trust chairman

Earlier Bandekar had enjoyed two-term tenure as a chairman of the trust from july 2017 to July 2023.

Speaking about his appointment, Sarvankar thanked CM Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar and said, “I am fortunate enough to get the opportunity. I thank the CM and both the DCMs for giving me this opportunity.”

Sarvankar, an incumbent Mahim Assembly constituency MLA, is a four time legislator, who was considered to be close to Sena UBT president Uddhav Thackeray.

He, however, had joined the Shinde-led breakaway faction in June 2022.

Incidentally, the Mumbai police had registered an FIR against Sarvankar under the Arms Act in March 2023, after allegations of bullets being fired from his gun during a Ganpati visarjan last year in September.

Slamming the government decision, Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray posted on X,  “The traitor MLA Sarvankar who pointed his gun towards devotees and citizens during a Ganpati procession in Dadar, and used it in the police station, has now been appointed chairman of the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust by the Shinde- BJP regime…”