THE Maharashtra Government has removed categorised security cover of several leaders of the Opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) after assessing their threat perception, but security detail of former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has been retained, an official said on Friday.

The MVA alliance, which was earlier in power in the State, comprised the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

While the security cover of former CM Uddhav Thackeray and his family members, NCP President Sharad Pawar and his kin, including his daugther and Baramati Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule, has been retained, protection of NCP leaders like Jayant Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal and jailed Anil Dehmukh has been removed, he said.

“The security cover of NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad has been maintained as it is, while Shiv Sena (UBT) secretary Milind Narvekar (a trusted aide of Uddhav Thackeray) has been given ‘Y-plus-escort’ cover. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ajit Pawar and former Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil (both of NCP) have been given ‘Y-plus-escort’ detail,” he said. The categorised cover of leaders like Nawab Malik, Anil Deshmukh, Vijay Wadettiwar, Balasaheb Thorat, Nana Patole, Bhaskar Jadhav, Satej Patil, Dhanajay Munde, Sunil Kedare, Narhari Zirwal and Varun Sardesai has been removed, he added. The official informed that Congress leaders Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan, both former Chief Ministers, have been provided ‘Y category’ security.

All decisions regarding security cover have been taken professionally considering the threat perception and the move has nothing to do with their political affiliations, he asserted.