Shiv Sena MLA accused of sending 'dummy' to meet Marathwada farmers

Mumbai: In what can bring in huge embarrassment for Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, party leader Yashodhar Phanse met farmers of a drought-hit village in Maharashtra's Osmanabad, introducing himself as local Sena MLA Gautam Chabukswar.

Uddhav Thackeray in a meeting had directed party MLAs to visit drought-hit areas in their constituencies and meet the farmers.

Chabukswar was is Himachal Pradesh when the incident happened.

A news channel claimed that Gautam Chabukswar, Sena MLA from Pimpri-Chinchwad near Pune, skipped the tour as he was travelling in north India.

However, he sent Yashodhar Phanase, a former corporator, to Osmanabad district (assigned to him by the party for the campaign) as his substitute. Phanase was introduced as the MLA during the tour, the report claimed.

Both Chabukswar and Phanase denied the allegations.