Sena rebel MLAs: Support in Buldhana, anger in Nagpur

Nagpur: The impact of the Shiv Sena rebellion is now being felt in Vidarbha, with support for rebels in Buldhana but anger against them in Nagpur. Supporters of Buldhana MLA Sanjay Gaikwad took to the streets and made public their support for him.
Gaikwad, who is currently in Guwahati with the Eknath Shinde-led entourage, is known to have strong grassroot-level connect in his constituency.The MLA shared photos of his supporters taking to the streets urging CM Uddhav Thackeray to break away from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
Similarly, some posters of Shinde had been put in Nagpur at Gandhi Putla Chowk which were taken down by members of the Yuva Sena. The group said that in the future if any such poster comes up, they will take it down immediately.
While in Vidarbha such show of strength or dissent was limited to slogan shouting or tearing down of posters, in some parts of the state, offices of rebel MLAs came under attack.
On Friday, Shinde had written a letter to Uddhav Thackeray saying security of family members of MLAs has been withdrawn which poses a threat to them.
Earlier in the day, Sena spokesperson MP Sanjay Raut said that security is usually given to the legislator not family members.
Dinesh Kesarkar, a senior MLA who is with the Shinde group, said, “I appeal to CM Thackeray that the violence that is going on in the state should be brought under control. Everyone will listen to the CM. If he addresses the public then I am sure things will be normal.”
Currently, some Sena functionaries from Nagpur district are in Mumbai as part of the series of meetings there. Shiv Sena MP Krupal Tumane has already given ample hints on which side of the fence he is by saying that he would prefer to ‘wait and watch’. Ramtek’s independent MLA Ashish Jaiswal, a former Sainik, has already joined the Shinde camp.
With Nagpur’s elected national and state representatives from Sena and support groups leaning towards Shinde, the slogan shouting and poster-tearing was on expected lines. As per sources, cops are keeping a strict vigil to ensure that things remain under control.