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Nimbalkar is one of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs who, according to reports, are considering switching to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena
A CBI court in Mumbai on Saturday acquitted all the accused in the 2006 murder case of Maharashtra Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar. Image/ANI
A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mumbai has acquitted former Maharashtra Home Minister Padamsinh Patil and seven others in the high-profile 2006 double murder case of Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver, Samad Kazi. Special Judge SR Navander ruled that the prosecution failed to establish a definitive chain of conspiracy, noting substantial contradictions in the statements of the accused-turned-approver, Parasmal Jain. The landmark judicial decision brings a dramatic close to a twenty-year legal battle that has dictated the political landscape of Dharashiv district.
However, the legal conclusion has instantly triggered a massive political storm. The verdict arrived just hours after Pawanraje’s son, Dharashiv MP Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, skipped a high-stakes meeting of Lok Sabha members called by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT). The absence of Omraje and five other party MPs, despite a strict 24-hour ultimatum and party whip, has fuelled intense speculation regarding an imminent structural split within the Uddhav Sena, with the rebel lawmakers reportedly positioned to merge with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction.
The Intersection of Legal Closure and Operative Defections
The intersection of the court verdict and the internal party rebellion has completely altered the optical framework of Maharashtra’s factional politics. Senior leaders within the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance had previously claimed that Om Raje was considering jumping ship to the ruling Mahayuti coalition under the promise of a favourable legal outcome for his family. With Padamsinh Patil—who is the biological brother of Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar—now completely exonerated alongside all co-accused, the structural leverage points inside the Dharashiv power corridor have shifted overnight.
Om Raje Nimbalkar’s political identity was forged entirely on the back of his father’s brutal assassination on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in 2006, which generated a massive wave of local sympathy and propelled him into public life at the age of 26. For two decades, the pursuit of justice against Patil’s entrenched cooperative sugar baron network served as the singular anchor of Om Raje’s grassroots appeal. The acquittal removes the long-standing legal taint from the extended Pawar family network while forcing Om Raje to evaluate his survival strategies strictly on developmental lines.
Local Deliberations Hold Key to Factional Alignment
Addressing the press following the verdict, Om Raje denied any direct correlation between the judicial outcome and his strategic shifts, emphasising that his reservations with the current UBT leadership stem from the acute realities of constituency management. He argued that facing voters empty-handed has become unsustainable, pointing to a stark imbalance in funding allocation between the ruling alliance and the isolated opposition block. The lawmaker also raised critical questions about organisational neglect, noting a visible lack of grassroots outreach from top party managers.
The immediate priority for the rebel MP group remains navigating the numbers threshold of the anti-defection law to execute a legally secure merger with the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Om Raje has confirmed he will return to Dharashiv to hold exhaustive consultations with local party workers before announcing his final alignment. As the political factions brace for impact, the collapse of the 2006 murder trial proves that in Maharashtra’s volatile ecosystem, a single court verdict holds the power to completely reshape legislative mathematics.
About the Author
Pathikrit Sen Gupta is a Senior Associate Editor with News18.com and likes to cut a long story short. He writes sporadically on Politics, Sports, Global Affairs, Space, Entertainment, And Food. He tra…Read More
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