Maratha community leader Vinayak Mete dead in a car crash

Mumbai: Maratha community leader Vinayak Mete was killed in a car accident on Sunday morning. The incident took place on the Mumbai-Pune expressway in the Raigad district of Maharashtra.

The car was found in a severely damaged condition.

An official told PTI that a vehicle hit the former MLC's car near the Madap tunnel. The chief of Shiv Sangram, an ally of the BJP, was taken to the MGM hospital in Navi Mumbai where he died. The policeman who accompanied him for security, Ram Doble, is under treatment.

Several politicians from the state expressed grief at Mete's death. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis arrived at the hospital.

State minister Chandrakant Patil said Mete's death is a shock. He added that the leader was genuinely following up on the issue of the Maratha reservation. "It is a huge loss for us and the Maratha community."

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar expressed grief and said Mete's focus was more on social issues than political ones. "He was more of a social activist than a political leader. It is a huge shock for us. He was earlier also part of the NCP. He pursued the demand for reservation for Marathas in education and government jobs."

Congress leader Ashok Chavan said it is unfortunate to lose a leader like Mete. "Despite us being in different political parties, Mete and I were almost on the same page over the issue of Maratha reservation in the state."