MLA skips Assembly over MNS support for NCP

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has been making efforts to make one of its MLAs, who is sulking after MNS chief Raj Thackeray decided to support the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the Aurangabad Zilla Parishad standing committee elections, to attend the ongoing Budget session of the Assembly.

The MNS MLA from Kannad in Aurangabad has been refusing attend the House in protest.

MNS group leader in the Assembly, Bala Nandgaonkar said they had spoken to Jadhav and asked him to attend the House but he had not done so as yet. "He is unhappy with the party decision. We have asked him to attend the session as he is a member, but he has not done so," said Nandgaonkar.

Some MNS leaders said Jadhav had faced stiff competition from the NCP and was against supporting the party in the Aurangabad ZP standing committee elections and had conveyed it to party leaders. Jadhav himself had ensured that two of his supporters in ZP did not vote for NCP but MNS leaders ensured that NCP won.

"We told him it is important to accept the party decision. It, however, affects equations at the local level for him. We will discuss and sort out the matter with him," said Nandgaonkar.

Jadhav, on the other hand alleged a "coterie" around Thackeray was influencing decisions. He said he had not yet contacted Thackeray and could decide the future course of action only after meeting him.

Last year, Jadhav and his supporters were lathicharged by police when they tried to stop Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan's motorcade during his visit to Ellora. Jadhav was charged under various sections of IPC including 307 (attempt to murder), 353 (assault on public servant). Thackeray had then said there was a "conspiracy" behind the incident.

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