Farmers union falls apart as leaders join other parties

For the upcoming Assembly polls, Shetti has decided to go with Maharashtra Parivartan Mahashakti – the third front led by Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati. Along with leaders like former minister Bacchu Kadu and others, they have projected themselves to be an alternative to both Mahayuti and MVA in the state. Shetti’s party had fielded candidates mostly in Western Maharashtra as well as some areas in Marathwada.

Madnaik was accompanied in his rebellion by the union’s state president Jalinder Patil. In what can be termed as a vertical split in the organisation, the two senior leaders who had stood by Shetti through thick and thin decided to support Shinde-led Sena for elections. Soon after the two senior leaders issued a statement that they would be supporting Sena, Shetti’s organisation issued a release which said it had distanced itself from the decision of the former leaders.

Jalinder Patil, while speaking to The Indian Express, said they took the decision as they were not comfortable with Shetti’s decision to form the third alliance. In 2005, Patil said they were part of another alliance called Republican Left Front (RLF) which was much stronger. “Yet that alliance failed to get many seats,” he said. The present third alliance comes at a time when the state has two strong alliances already. “In politics one must understand ground realities — the Sanghatana will not gain anything politically in this election,” he said. Both Patil and Madnaik have been with Shetti for the last 25 years and their decision to part ways will certainly hurt the Sanghatana.

Shetti’s decision to field Ulhas Patil and former MLA Sujit Minchekar from the Hatkanangale constituency, said Patil, was a betrayal of the Sanghatana and its people. “By fielding party hoppers Shetti has given a very wrong signal,” he said.