The exodus from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction continues to accelerate in the aftermath of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. As political parties prepare for upcoming municipal and local body elections, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena is witnessing a steady stream of defections, significantly boosting its organizational strength.
Former corporators, senior leaders, and grassroots workers from the Thackeray camp are increasingly shifting allegiance to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. A major development took place in Navi Mumbai, where former members of the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena formally joined the Shinde faction in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He announced the news on X (formerly Twitter), sharing photos from the induction ceremony.
Among the key entrants were Ratan Mandwe, former whip of the Ubhata group in the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, and his wife, Sunita Ratan Mandwe. The couple joined the party at Anandashram in Thane, marking yet another symbolic blow to the Thackeray camp. Additionally, several local office-bearers from the Belapur Assembly constituency, including Nikhil Mandwe, Anubhav Bele, Jayashree Bele, Sunil Sanap, Vishal Gunjal, and Amit Jadhav, took the saffron pledge and joined the Shinde camp. They were welcomed with open arms, with Shinde extending best wishes for their future political and social endeavors.
The momentum didn’t stop there. Key leaders from INTUC (Indian National Trade Union Congress), a labor wing affiliated with the Indian National Congress, also joined Shiv Sena. Notable names included INTUC State President Babasaheb Chavan, Mumbai President Amit Bhatnagar, Western Maharashtra President Prabhat Kambale, and several district heads from Pune, Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Nandurbar, Dharashiv, and Mumbai.
These frequent inductions are rapidly strengthening the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Shinde emphasized that the 2024 Assembly results resolved the debate over which faction represents the "real" Shiv Sena. He asserted that the increasing number of joinings is proof of the public's faith in his leadership. Citing the developmental work done over the past two and a half years, Shinde expressed confidence that the saffron flag would fly high over municipal corporations in the upcoming local body elections.