BJP leader Shivajirao Patil Kavhekar meets Raj Thackeray

Latur, Aug 7 (PTI) Former MLA and BJP leader Shivajirao Patil Kavhekar met with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray in Latur, triggering speculation about his political plan ahead of the state assembly elections, due in October.

For the record, Kavhekar told reporters that he discussed the Marathwada Water Grid Project and other development-related issues in the region with Thackeray on Tuesday.

Thackeray has declared the candidature of MNS secretary Santosh Nagargoje from the Latur Rural constituency, who will become the first candidate of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena from the Marathwada region to contest the assembly elections.

Notably, Kavhekar defeated former chief minister and Congress leader (late) Vilasrao Deshmukh in 1995 as a Janata Dal nominee from the Latur assembly segment.

Deshmukh managed to enlist the support of Kavhekar when Congress fielded the former's son, Amit Deshmukh, from the Latur City segment after the 2009 delimitation.

Kavhekar crossed over to the BJP in 2019 after Congress picked Vilasrao's other son, Dheeraj Deshmukh, as its nominee from the Latur Rural seat. PTI COR NSK