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The development was confirmed by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, who said Ahir had formally joined the party and was handed the nomination papers for the Deputy Chairman’s election.
The former Worli MLA and Aaditya Thackeray confidante filed his nomination for the Legislative Council Deputy Chairman’s post soon after joining the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, days after six Sena (UBT) MPs switched camps. (IMAGE: X)
The Shiv Sena (UBT) suffered another political setback on Tuesday after party MLC and former MLA Sachin Ahir crossed over to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, continuing a string of defections that has steadily weakened Uddhav Thackeray’s camp.
Soon after joining the ruling faction, Ahir filed his nomination for the post of Deputy Chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
The development was confirmed by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, who said Ahir had formally joined the party and was handed the nomination papers for the Deputy Chairman’s election.
Photographs released by the Office of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde showed Sachin Ahir, accompanied by senior leaders of the ruling Mahayuti, submitting his nomination papers for the post of Deputy Chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council. Shinde, along with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other coalition leaders, was present as the nomination papers were handed over to the Returning Officer, underscoring the NDA’s united backing for Ahir’s candidature.
A former MLA from Mumbai’s Worli constituency, Ahir is widely regarded as a close confidante of Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray. His switch is likely to be seen as another symbolic setback for the Uddhav camp, which has been grappling with repeated defections since the dramatic split in the undivided Shiv Sena in 2022.
Ahir’s political journey has taken him through multiple parties over the years. He began his career with the Congress before moving to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He later joined the undivided Shiv Sena ahead of Aaditya Thackeray’s electoral debut from Worli, a move that helped consolidate the latter’s position in the constituency.
The latest defection comes less than a week after six Lok Sabha MPs from the Shiv Sena (UBT) merged with the Shinde-led faction, further strengthening the Deputy Chief Minister’s grip over the party’s organisational and legislative structure. At the time, Shinde had described the mass crossover as the “second phase” of the 2022 rebellion that split the Shiv Sena.
Since the split, Shinde has retained control of the original Shiv Sena after securing the backing of a majority of the party’s legislators. His faction was subsequently recognised as the official Shiv Sena and allotted the party’s iconic bow-and-arrow symbol, leaving the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) to rebuild its organisation while battling successive political setbacks.
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Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has c…Read More
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