In a big jolt to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), four corporators quit the party and are seen as likely to join the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena from the Thane Municipal Corporation.
The corporators Radhabai Jadwar, Digambar Thakur, Vanita Ghogare and Hanumant Jagdale four prominent faces of the NCP have broken ties with the party.
Former Thane NCP corporator Hanumant Jagdale said, "In Maharashtra, the Shinde faction is continuously giving political shocks to its opposition parties. After Uddhav Thackeray, this political blow has now been dealt to Nationalist Congress due to which party leader and former cabinet minister Jitendra Awhad is hurt."
"Four corporators of the Nationalist Congress Party, including a former opposition party leader of the Thane Municipal Corporation and one transport member, have announced they are breaking ties with the Nationalist Congress," Jagdale added.
Jagdale further said that Jitendra Awhad challenging the Shinde faction in Thane is considered a major political setback for the Nationalist Congress in particular.
Notably, during the 2017 elections in Maharashtra, the Nationalist Congress party was in second position after Shiv Sena as a total of 34 corporators were elected for the Thane Municipal Corporation.
On Tuesday, the party on behalf of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), fielded its candidate Nana Kate from the Chinchwad assembly constituency for a bypoll.
Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil announced the candidature of Nana Kate and appealed to the MVA leaders to work together to win this seat.
As part of an agreement arrived at between the MVA partners, the Congress will contest the Kasba Assembly bypoll while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will represent the Opposition alliance in the battle for the Chinchwad constituency.
The bye-elections to Kasba Peth and Chinchwad were necessitated following the death of BJP leaders Mukta Shailesh Tilak and Laxman Pandurang Jagtap, respectively.
Kasba Peth MLA Mukta Tilak died on December 22 last year while Chinchwad MLA Laxman Jagtap passed away on January 3 after a prolonged illness.
( With inputs from ANI )
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