Panchayat polls: Sena MP, BJP MLA booked for attempt to murder

Shiv Sena MP Omraje Nimbalkar and BJP MLA Rana Jagjitsinh Patil have been booked for attempt to murder following cross-complaints against them amid the ongoing panchayat polls in Maharashtra's Osmanabad district, police said on Tuesday.

Elections for Kalamb panchayat in Osmanabad are currently underway.

Three BJP panchayat members were allegedly brought to Akluj in Solapur by supporters of Nimbalkar, who is the Lok Sabha member from Osmanabad, on Monday in a bid to settle political scores, a police official said quoting the complaint.

When Patil, who is MLA from Tuljapur seat in Osmanabad, went to Akluj to bring back his party members, he and some BJP activists allegedly had a scuffle with Shiv Sena supporters, he said.

While taking away his party members, Patil allegedly brandished his revolver at the Shiv Sena supporters, the official said.

Based on a complaint by Shiv Sena activists, an FIR was registered by Akluj police against Patil and 10 of his supporters for attempt to murder, the official said.

Later, Patil's supporters lodged a cross-complaint, based on which another FIR was registered against Nimbalkar and three others for attempt to murder, he said.

"There were cross-complaints from supporters of both the leaders following which cases of attempt to murder were registered against them," Akluj police station's inspector Bhagwan Nimbalkar said.

Investigation was underway in both the cases, he said, adding no arrest was made so far.

Nimbalkar and Patil are political rivals.

The Sena MP's father Pawanraje Nimbalkar was shot dead near Kalamboli on the Mumbai-Pune highway on June 3, 2006.

According to the CBI, which probed the case, the BJP MLA's father Padamsinh Patil hatched the conspiracy "to kill Pawanraje Nimbalkar out of political rivalry".