By Tejas Navale
Pune, November 9, 2024: Nearly six months after the Porsche crash in Kalyani Nagar, the case continues to stir political waters, haunting Vadgaon Sheri MLA Sunil Tingre, who is also the NCP candidate for the constituency. At a campaign rally yesterday for NCP (SP) candidate Bapusaheb Pathare, Baramati MP Supriya Sule levelled serious allegations against Tingre, claiming he had issued a defamation notice to the veteran leader and the NCP (SP) party president Sharad Pawar.
Speaking at the rally, Sule accused Tingre of secretly assisting the minor accused in the Porsche crash, which tragically claimed the lives of two IT professionals on the midnight of May 19. According to Sule, Tingre allegedly ensured that the accused would get pizza and biryani while in police custody and interfered in the investigation by manipulating blood sample results to protect the accused. “Not only did he aid the accused,” Sule remarked, “but he also dared to send a defamation notice to Pawar Saheb after he raised questions about the incident. The very leader who signed Tingre’s AB form is now receiving notices.”
These fresh allegations have brought the high-profile Kalyani Nagar crash back into the election spotlight, with Tingre forced to defend his stance. Addressing Sule’s accusations, Tingre stated, “I did not send a personal notice to Sharad Pawar or any individual. However, in response to baseless claims and defamation against me, I did issue notices to all opposition parties.” Tingre clarified that no specific notice was intended for Pawar, but only for the Mahavikas Aghadi’s parties as a collective.
On the charge of helping the accused, Tingre earlier explained that he happened to be present at the police station following the crash because he once worked as an engineer for the accused’s father’s company. Tingre has consistently refuted claims of tampering with the investigation, stating that he never interfered with police proceedings.
This escalating back-and-forth has made Vadgaon Sheri a focal point in the upcoming election. Tingre is representing the NCP, while the NCP (SP) has fielded Bapusaheb Pathare, making the contest a high-stakes battle within factions. Initially, Mahayuti seemed poised for internal conflict, as the BJP’s Jagdish Mulik was interested in filing his nomination. However, Mulik withdrew under the directive of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, clearing the path for a direct face-off between Mahayuti and Mahavikas Aghadi in the Vadgaon Sheri constituency.
