Sandeep reportedly had family dispute with uncle Sunil.
Politicians in the state just do not seem to get along with their nephews. Following in the footsteps of Raj Thackeray, who defied Balasaheb Thackeray and Dhananjay Munde, who parted ways with Gopinath Munde, it was Sandeep Tatkare’s turn to part ways with his uncle and NCP leader Sunil Tatkare.
Sandeep Tatkare, a young and ambitious politician from Raigad district, turned his back on his uncle’s party by joining the Shiv Sena on Sunday.
Sandeep Tatkare is contesting election for the post of president of Roha Municipal Council as an independent candidate — he had not joined Shiv Sena at the time of filing the nomination — as his uncle and NCP’s state president Sunil Tatkare gave the candidature to his own son’s father-in-law Santosh Potfode. “This was the reason why Sandeep Tatkare rebelled against Mr Tatkare,” claimed Mahesh Tapase, NCP spokesperson.
However, Sandeep Tatkare said it’s up to the state president to whom he should give candidature. He refused to comment on the rift between his father and MLC Anil Tatkare and his uncle Sunil Tatkare that had allegedly split the family.
Raigad is the bastion of NCP, especially of Sunil Tatkare. It was earlier a stronghold of the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP). Anil Tatkare became a member of the state Legislative Council owing to younger brother Sunil Tatkare’s clout. However, the families later split over property issues, said an NCP insider on the condition of anonymity.
Shiv Sena secretary Adesh Bandekar, who played a pivotal role in getting Sandeep Tatkare into the Sena fold, said, “Definitely Shiv Sena will benefit from Sandeep’s entry as when someone joins the party, his followers too will automatically shift allegiance to the same party. Sandeep has shown faith in party president Uddhavji and ultimately, we will support him, while his network will benefit Sena,” said Mr Bandekar.
NCP state president Sunil Tatkare said the ongoing election for the municipal council would determine who held the aces in Roha and the district. “I will not speak more on this issue,” Mr Tatkare said.
