In a fresh political setback for the Shiv Sena (UBT), former MLA Sachin Ahir on Tuesday joined the Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, ahead of the election for the Deputy Chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council. Ahir, a former legislator from Mumbai's Worli constituency and long considered a close associate of Aaditya Thackeray, also filed his nomination for the post of Deputy Chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council soon after joining the Shinde-led party.
His move marks another significant defection from the Uddhav Thackeray camp, which has continued to face political challenges since the Shiv Sena split in 2022. The development was confirmed by Shrikant Shinde, who said that Ahir had formally joined the Shiv Sena and had been handed the nomination papers for the Deputy Chairman's election. The nomination comes at a politically significant time, with the election expected to test the strength of rival alliances within the Legislative Council.
Sachin Ahir has had a long political career spanning multiple parties. He began his political journey with the Indian National Congress before joining the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He later switched to the undivided Shiv Sena after Aaditya Thackeray entered electoral politics from the Worli Assembly constituency. At the time, Ahir's induction into the Sena was viewed as an important organisational move that helped strengthen the party's position in the constituency ahead of Aaditya Thackeray's electoral debut.
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His return to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena represents another blow for the Shiv Sena (UBT), which has been attempting to rebuild its organisation after the split led by Eknath Shinde in 2022. The rebellion resulted in a majority of the party's MLAs backing Shinde, who subsequently secured recognition for his faction as the official Shiv Sena along with the party's traditional name and election symbol. Since then, the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction has witnessed a series of organisational and political challenges, with several leaders shifting allegiance to the ruling camp.
Ahir's departure is likely to be viewed as another symbolic setback because of his long association with the Thackeray family and his political roots in Worli, a constituency represented by Aaditya Thackeray. The Deputy Chairman election is expected to be closely watched, not only for its legislative significance but also as an indicator of the evolving political equations in Maharashtra, where the ruling alliance continues to consolidate support while the opposition seeks to retain its remaining organisational strength.
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