15 May,2026 02:27 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
MNS chief Raj Thackeray (L) and Dilip Dhotre (R). Pic/X
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Dilip Dhotre was injured in a road accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway while travelling from Mumbai to Pune on Friday.
Following the accident, Dhotre was rushed to a private hospital in Pune, where he is currently undergoing treatment. According to the party, his condition is stable.
In a statement posted on its official X account, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena said that party chief Raj Thackeray is personally monitoring Dhotre's health and remains in touch with the doctors treating him.
News of the accident prompted several MNS workers and supporters to gather at the hospital to enquire about the senior leader's condition.
Dhotre is regarded as a close associate of Raj Thackeray and has been actively involved in the party's organisational activities for several years.
Earlier this month, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule said a car rammed into her vehicle while she was travelling from Pune to Mumbai on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
The Baramati MP later said she was safe as she had been wearing a seatbelt at the time of the incident.
"Hello, Driving Pune to Mumbai, a car just came and banged into my car wear a seat belt. pls all travelling take care. It's not about how u drive, it could be a reckless driver. Fortunately I was wearing a seat belt. We all totally safe ... but was a bit scared for a min when the car came and banged into my car from the side .... Road safety very important," Sule wrote in a social media post.
She also shared the registration number of the vehicle involved in the collision.
Meanwhile, a 50-year-old Shiv Sena leader from Maharashtra's Beed district was killed in a road accident earlier this year.
The accident took place near Dakephal in Kaij tehsil on the Ahmednagar-Ahilyanagar National Highway on February 1, police said.
The deceased was identified as Chandrakant Shahaji Ingale, the Kaij tehsil vice-president of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
Police said Ingale was returning home from a religious event when a car collided with his motorcycle, killing him on the spot. He is survived by his wife and two sons.
Officials added that Ingale's brother had also died in a two-wheeler accident nearly 10 years ago.
