Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency will be a prestigious seat for Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in this Lok Sabha election. The CM's son Shrikant Shinde is in the fray from Kalyan and the Shiv Sena-Shinde faction is gearing up to ensure his re-election. Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde has also dealt a major blow to the Congress in Ambernath, which falls under the Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency. In Ambernath, seven former corporators, including senior Congress leader and city president Pradeep Patil, have joined Shinde's Shiv Sena. This is seen as a major setback for the Congress, which is already in trouble in the region.
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Pradeep Patil, who has been leading the Congress in Ambernath for the past several years, has held various posts in Ambernath municipality, including corporator, leader of opposition. His leadership also influences a large part of Ambernath West. Pradeep Patil joined the Shiv Sena Shinde group in the presence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Kalyan MLA Shrikant Shinde and other office-bearers were present on the occasion.
Along with Pradeep Patil, hundreds of workers, including Milind Patil, Charan Rasal, Archana Rasal, Surendra Yadav, Congress Women's City President Smita Bangera, Youth Congress' Harshal Bhoir, minority cell city president Naeem Shaikh, joined the Shiv Sena Shinde group.