The Mumbai chief of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), Rakhee Jadhav, on Monday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. Jadhav is likely to contest the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections from Ward Number 131 in Ghatkopar. She had represented the ward in 2017 when the NCP was undivided.
Jadhav was appointed Mumbai chief of the undivided NCP during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government after the arrest of Nawab Malik. She stayed with the Sharad Pawar-led faction following the party split. She contested the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly election against BJP MLA Parag Shah.
Several NCP leaders from Mumbai have exited the party in recent months. Former corporator Dhananjay Pisal, leader Manish Dubey and general secretary Ashok Panchal have already joined the Nationalist Congress Party led by Ajit Pawar.
Last week, Prashant Jagtap quit the party after it decided to align with Ajit Pawar’s NCP in the Pune Municipal Corporation polls.
The Maharashtra State Election Commission has announced elections to 29 municipal corporations across the state, including the BMC, Pune Municipal Corporation, and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. Mumbai will see polling across 227 electoral wards on January 15, with counting scheduled for January 16.