Close shave for Maha Congress chief as truck hits car; Nana Patole smells a plot

Bhandara (Maharashtra): Maharashtra Congress President, Nana F Patole, had a close shave on Tuesday after his car met with a potentially deadly accident while he was returning to his base camp after addressing an election rally late at night, party leaders said here on Wednesday.

Senior Congress leader Patole said that a rashly driven speeding truck attempted to overtake his car which swerved to avoid it near Bhilewada, en route to Sukli Village after completing his poll meeting at Ganeshpur.

Despite frantic efforts by Patole’s driver to avoid a collision, the truck managed to graze it and the car was virtually forced off the road before it ground to a halt in the darkness.

Though Patole, his colleagues and the driver emerged unscathed from the car, the vehicle was badly damaged and cannot be driven anymore.

On Wednesday, Patole, appearing a tad shaken by the accident, said the local police rushed to the spot, carried out a panchnama, seized the truck and launched a probe.

However, he expressed doubts whether this was a genuine accident or a conspiracy but said the police investigations would unravel the truth.

He said it was not clear whether the trucker was inebriated or had dozed off at the wheel.

“We have lodged a police complaint to ascertain whether it was a plot of some kind and demanded a probe… There were no casualties in the crash,” said Patole, who resumed his scheduled election programmes on Wednesday.