MUMBAI, April 29 -- To expand his footprint in Vidarbha, a stronghold of his alliance partner, the BJP, deputy chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde has offered a legislative council berth to peasant leader Bachchu Kadu. But there's a rider - Kadu would have to merge his local party, Prahar Janshakti, with the Sena. The offer comes ahead of biennial elections to ten legislative council seats scheduled for May 12. For both Shinde and Kadu, the timing is just right. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis first set up a committee to examine the farm loan waiver demand following a protest held by Kadu in October and subsequently announced a Rs.35,000-crore loan waiver scheme for farmers in March. Kadu is keen on the berth, but not at the cost of the party he founded in 1999. On Monday, Kadu met Sena minister Uday Samant, who tried to persuade him to accept the offer. But Kadu, it appears, was unmoved. He is expected to announce his decision on Wednesday. Kadu was a minister in the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government but joined Shinde when he split the Shiv Sena and pulled down the MVA government in 2022. However, Shinde did not reward Kadu with a ministerial berth in the Mahayuti alliance government after taking over as chief minister. Upset, Kadu snapped ties with the ruling Mahayuti coalition. In subsequent state assembly elections in November 2024, he lost to the BJP's Pawan Tayde from Achalpur assembly constituency. Prahar Janshakti's second MLA Rajkumar Patel also lost to BJP's Kewalram Kale from the Melghat constituency. The party, which had two MLAs, failed to win a single seat in 2024. However, Kadu has been staging agitations on farmer issues, keeping himself in the spotlight. "Kadu has spent over 26 years expanding the party's base and has built a strong cadre across several districts in the state. Merging the party would be a difficult decision for him," said a close aide of Kadu. A section of leaders close to Kadu believe he should be made a minister within the next six months. "They might have considered the offer if he was assured a ministerial position in this government, along with leadership of the Vidarbha region," said another aide. The Sena leadership believes the party would be strengthened if Kadu is inducted. "He has a strong connection with the people and a solid cadre across most districts in the region. His induction would boost the Sena's prospects, which is why the offer was made," said a senior Sena leader. "His popularity among farmers has grown following the loan waiver protests," the leader added....