Sharad Pawar disappointed with lack of intel on rebel leaders' flight

After the sudden flight of rebel Shiv Sena leaders under the leadership of Eknath Shinde from Maharashtra to BJP-ruled Gujarat’s Surat, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar is said to have expressed his displeasure over the lack of intel concerning the same to state Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil and the party’s state chief Jayant Patil.

Pawar, who was in Delhi, returned to Mumbai and met Walse and Jayant at his residence on Wednesday, according to an Indian Express report.

"Pawar is very upset," sources told the publication. "He made his displeasure known to party leaders. He wondered why the state Intelligence Department could not alert the government, especially when such a large number of MLAs, including ministers, were on the move."

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When a politician with police cover moves to another state, the Special Protection Unit usually needs to inform senior officers. "Since the police escorts providing security carry firearms, they are expected, as per Standard Operating Procedure, to inform superiors about the same so that there is no issue in another state," an official told IE.

A senior minister, who requested anonymity, said, "Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray gets a daily briefing. Apart from that, the Home Minister is kept in the know about all important developments."

After Shinde’s sudden move to Surat with almost 40 other MLAs, it appeared that the MVA leadership and the chief minister's office received no information about it, which led to the ongoing political crisis in Maharashtra.