Shinde in Delhi amid a swirl of rumours and min's I-T notice

Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde cancelled his scheduled meetings on Wednesday evening and rushed to Delhi to meet key Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders.

- HT Correspondent

The abrupt trip was made after his party spokesperson and state minister Sanjay Shirsat received a notice from the Income Tax (IT) department for alleged discrepancies in his election affidavits of 2019 and 2024 last week, and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announcing a probe into his son Siddhant’s bid for VITS Hotel, in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, earlier this week.

Another reason for the trip, said party insiders, was to discuss with top BJP leaders the political implications of the Thackeray cousins reuniting.

Shirsats have felt cornered recently, in the face of the IT notice and Fadnavis on Monday announcing a probe into the alleged irregularities in the tendering process for the auction of VITS Hotel for which Siddhanth had submitted the lowest bid a month ago.