In a significant political development, a substantial number of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers hailing from the Kalyan Rural assembly constituency switched allegiance to the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde on a late Sunday evening.
Notable individuals who left the MNS party to join the Shiv Sena included Suhas Telang, the MNS state public interest cell president, Sheetal Loke, MNS women's Dombivli city department president, Om Loke, MNS’s road department's Dombivli head, Chandrakant Sawant, Rishikesh Valunj, Chetna Sawant, and Rakesh Dhuri. These party functionaries, along with their numerous supporters, aligned themselves with the Shiv Sena under the leadership of Kalyan Lok Sabha MP Dr. Shrikant Shinde.
The primary reason cited by those who switched allegiances was the impressive development work undertaken by MP Shrikant Shinde in the city and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in the state. Their dedication and relentless efforts for the betterment of Maharashtra have won the support and admiration of the new Shiv Sena recruits.
MP Shrikant Shinde expressed his delight over this significant development and highlighted that more party functionaries from across the state are consistently joining the Shiv Sena due to the remarkable work being done by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
MNS MLA Raju Patil, who had been preparing to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election from the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat, is now faced with a challenging situation as the shift of party workers from his own constituency to the Shiv Sena represents a substantial setback for his political aspirations.