INDIA. Mumbai: Vinayak Mete an Ex-MLC and President of the Shiv Sangram Party died in a road accident near Khalapur Toll Plaza on Mumbai-Pune Expressway when his car (SUV) dashed against a truck injuring him and his staff in the early hours of Sunday.
He was 52 and is survived by his wife, a son, and a daughter. The last rites will be performed on a farm at Canal Road in the Beed district on Monday, his family sources said.
The accident occurred at 5.30 am when Mete was proceeding towards Mumbai. He suffered severe head injuries and was taken to MGM Hospital at Kamothe near Panvel at about 6.20 am. The doctors performed an ECG (electrocardiogram), but it showed a flat line (indicating no heart movement). Eventually, he passed away, the hospital sources said.
His bodyguard and his driver also suffered minor injuries. Mete was travelling to Mumbai to attend a meeting about the Maratha reservation in Mantralaya in South Mumbai.
The driver of the truck ran away soon after the accident. The police have dispatched teams to trace him. Besides, Maharashtra Chief minister Eknath Shinde has asked police to verify the CCTV footage to find out the exact reason behind the accident.
Mete was born on June 30, 1970, in Maharashtra’s Beed district. He was elected unopposed to the Maharashtra Legislative Council via the BJP quota in June 2016. He was a member of the Nationalist Congress Party until 2014. Then he floated to Shiv Sangram Party and has been an ally of the BJP since then. He had a record of being an MLC five times.
His death was condoled by many leaders. Maharashtra minister and former state BJP president Chandrakant Patil said Mete’s death came as a shock to them. “He was genuinely following up the issue of Maratha reservation. It is a huge loss for us and the Maratha community.”
NCP President Sharad Pawar also expressed grief over Mete’s death. “His focus was more on social issues than political ones. He was more of a social activist than a political leader,” Pawar said.
Soon after the mishap Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and BJP MLA Bharati Lavekar rushed to the hospital.
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