Shiv Sena Leader and Guardian Minister Sanjay Rathod was involved in a serious car accident in the early hours of October 3rd near the village of Kopra, Yavatmal. The accident occurred around 2 AM while Minister Rathod was traveling back from a visit to Yavatmal. His car collided with a pickup truck from behind, leading to significant damage to the front of his vehicle. Fortunately, the airbags deployed immediately, preventing any major injuries to Minister Rathod.
However, his driver sustained serious injuries and was taken to the hospital, along with the driver of the pickup truck, for medical treatment. He is a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from Digras-Darwha Assembly Constituency. Rathod is a strong Shiv Sena leader in Vidarbha and belongs to the Banjara community. He won 2014 assembly election with record margin of 79,864, second highest in Maharashtra. In 2021, Sanjay Rathod, then forest minister in the erstwhile Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, had to step down after the death by suicide of a 22-year-old woman, who was a TikTok star. Last year, he was part of a coup by Shiv Sena legislators led by Eknath Shinde, which toppled the MVA regime.