Close Shave For Nana Patole As His Car Grazes Against Truck, Maha Congress Chief Smells Plot

Following the accident, the Maharashtra Congress tighter security for its bigwigs.

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole

Source : PTI

It was a close shave for Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole as his car met with a potentially deadly accident on Tuesday while returning to his base camp after addressing an election rally late at night, said the party leaders on Wednesday, according to an IANS report. 

Patole said that a rashly driven speeding truck attempted to overtake his car which swerved to avoid it near Bhilewada, en route to Sukli Village after completing his poll meeting at Ganeshpur.

Despite frantic efforts by Patole’s driver to avoid a collision, the truck managed to graze it and the car was eventually forced off the road before it ground to a halt in the darkness. Patole and his colleagues emerged unscathed from the car but the vehicle was badly damaged and could not be driven anymore, the report added. 

An apparently tad shaken Patole said on Wednesday that the local police rushed to the spot, carried out a panchnama, seized the truck and launched a probe.

However, the Maharashtra Congress chief cast doubt whether it was a genuine accident or a conspiracy but said the police investigations would unravel the truth.

He also said that it was not clear whether the trucker was inebriated or had dozed off at the wheel.

“We have lodged a police complaint to ascertain whether it was a plot of some kind and demanded a probe… There were no casualties in the crash,” said Patole, who resumed his scheduled election programmes on Wednesday.

Worried over the accident, the Maharashtra Congress has demanded enhanced security cover for its important leaders, as per another IANS report. 

Chief Spokesperson Atul Londhe also wrote to the Director-General of Police Rashmi Shukla, the Election Commission of India seeking a probe into the matter to ascertain whether it was a ‘conspiracy’ to eliminate Patole.

He also urged the officials to arrange for tighter security for important Congress bigwigs like the Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar, Congress Legislative Party Leader Balasaheb Thorat, ex-CM Prithviraj Chavan and others.