Pune, Maharashtra (January 7, 2025): The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) party suffered a blow in Pune as five corporators switched allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the upcoming Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Elections. The corporators joined the BJP during a ceremony in Mumbai today.
The corporators who made the switch are Vishal Dhanwade, Bala Oswal, Prachi Alhat, Pallavi Jawale, and Sangeeta Thosar. Several other key leaders from Shiv Sena (UBT), including Santosh Sonawane, Nilesh Kulkarni, Amol Raskar, and Hari Rathod, also joined the BJP during the event.
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BJP State President and Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekar Bawankule welcomed the new members into the party. Bawankule stated that the corporators had joined the BJP due to its Hindutva ideology and would be respected within the party. He criticized Uddhav Thackeray for abandoning Hindutva for power, saying it led to many Shiv Sena leaders leaving his faction.
Union Minister of State and Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol, Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, and several BJP leaders, including MLAs Ravindra Chavan and Sunil Kamble was also present.