- Omraje Nimbalkar, son of Pawanraje Nimbalkar, is one of the MPs who has allegedly rebelled
- Pawanraje Nimbalkar was killed in 2006 and a former minister is an accused
- A verdict in the murder case is expected on Saturday
In the wake of the rebellion by six MPs in the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, one of the names that has taken centre stage is Omraje Nimbalkar. Senior leader Sanjay Raut has claimed that the Dharashiv MP and Thackeray loyalist is only considering switching because he was promised a favourable verdict in the case involving his father, which has been hanging fire for 20 years.
Nimbalkar's father, Pawanraje, was a prominent Congress leader from Osmanabad district. He had emerged as a popular political figure and was increasingly seen as a challenger to the dominance of senior NCP leader Padamsinh Patil in the region.
On June 3, 2006, Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver, Samad Kazi, were travelling in a Skoda car near Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai when they were allegedly intercepted by some people in another vehicle. The attackers forced Nimbalkar's vehicle to stop and opened fire, killing both the politician and Kazi before fleeing.
The murder shocked Maharashtra's political circles and quickly triggered allegations of a politically motivated assassination.
According to testimony recorded during the trial, Nimbalkar had initially risen politically with Patil's support and had held positions in cooperative institutions such as the Terna Sugar Factory and the Osmanabad District Central Cooperative Bank. However, relations between the two leaders reportedly deteriorated as Nimbalkar's political influence grew.
Omraje Nimbalkar later told the court that his father had even lodged police complaints against Patil as relations between the two camps worsened.
After the Nimbalkar family expressed dissatisfaction with the investigation, the probe was handed over to the CBI. In 2009, the agency filed a chargesheet naming Patil, a former Maharashtra Home minister, as the prime accused and alleged conspirator in the murder.
According to the CBI, the conspiracy was driven by political rivalry. Investigators alleged that Patil believed Nimbalkar's growing popularity posed a threat to his political influence in Osmanabad district and that a Rs 30-lakh contract had been given to eliminate him.
Patil has denied all the allegations.
Others named in the case were businessman Satish Mandade, former corporator Mohan Shukla, Parasmal Jain, former excise inspector Shashikant Kulkarni, BSP worker Kailash Yadav and alleged shooters Dinesh Tiwari, Pintu Singh and Chote Pandey.
After being heard for over 20 years, a verdict in the case was supposed to be given by the Special CBI Court on Tuesday, which was then postponed to Saturday.
Given the high-profile accused and victim, the judgment is expected to have an impact on Maharashtra politics. It will also bring to a close - at least until it is challenged - one of the state's longest-running and most closely watched political murder trials
