For the past few days, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (Shiv Sena UBT) has been facing continuous setbacks in Nashik as several key leaders and corporators are leaving the party and joining rival factions. Two weeks ago, former MLAs Nirmala Gavit and Narendra Darade had already switched sides and joined Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. Now, in a major blow to Thackeray’s group, more senior leaders and corporators have left the party. On Tuesday, four former corporators of Thackeray’s Shiv Sena — Kiran Darade, Seema Nigal, Pundalik Aringale, and Punjaram Gamane — officially joined Shinde’s Shiv Sena in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde himself. Along with these four, it is reported that 15 former corporators, including Thackeray’s former metropolitan chief Sudhakar Badgujar and former minister Babanrao Gholap, are joining the BJP on the same day, marking a growing shift of political strength away from the Thackeray camp.
With these new additions, the strength of Shinde's Shiv Sena in Nashik has increased significantly. The former corporators who joined Shinde’s camp have expressed confidence that they will easily win their respective seats in the upcoming Nashik Municipal Corporation elections. So far, a total of 20 former corporators from Nashik have shifted their loyalty to Shinde’s faction, and political sources suggest that more corporators from the Thackeray group may join Shinde’s side in the coming weeks. This continuous wave of defections has raised serious concerns within the Thackeray camp as their organizational base in Nashik appears to be weakening.
Meanwhile, many local leaders, office bearers, and grassroots workers from Thackeray’s Shiv Sena are also seen gravitating towards the ruling Shinde-BJP alliance, adding to the growing political crisis for Thackeray in Nashik. The ongoing political shifts are being closely watched ahead of the crucial municipal elections, where control over Nashik Municipal Corporation will be a significant political prize for all parties involved.