Mumbai: On Tuesday, a number of party MPs headed to Gujarat under the leadership of Eknath Shinde staged a dramatic escape, including Shiv Sena lawmaker Kailas Patil of Osmanabad. One of the lawmakers in the posse travelling to Surat, Patil, was able to disembark close to the Gujarat border checkpoint and eventually found his way to Varsha, the official residence of party leader Uddhav Thackeray in Malabar Hill.
Patil asserted that in order to get to Mumbai, he had to walk at least five kilometres and then use a truck and a bike to get there. Additionally, he made touch with the chief minister’s residence and informed the Sena leader of what had happened.
A Sena functionary in the know of the exchange between Patil and Sena leaders said that on Monday evening, a handful of legislators were told that they were being taken to dinner and were asked to meet in Thane.
“After the voting ended, some legislators were told that there is dinner planned in Thane and they had to go there. Unsuspecting, Patil went along with the plan, but soon he sensed something amiss as the car moved towards Ghodbunder road,” the functionary said.
After casting their ballots for the Monday’s legislative council elections, the parliamentarians were taken in separate automobiles in groups of three. At 5.30 p.m., Patil also departed the Vidhan Sabha after casting his vote.
The Sena official claimed that after the lawmakers had been on the road for a few hours, they had been informed that Eknath Shinde would meet them at the border checkpoint in Talasari, Palghar district. When they arrived at Talasari, Patil excused himself by claiming he had to use the restroom before getting out of the car. Patil began fleeing in the opposite direction, hiding between the darkness and the bushes by the road, the official continuedThe functionary who spoke to Patil said that he walked nearly five kilometres in the rain. “He hitched a ride on a bike for a few kilometres. He also requested a truck driver heading towards Mumbai to give him a ride. He reached the Dahisar check post at around 1.30 am. He then contacted Varsha. The CM’s staff arranged for a vehicle, which ferried him to Malabar Hill at around 2.15 am,” the functionary said.
Patil remained unavailable for comment
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