Shiv Sena (UBT) suffered another setback on Tuesday after former MLA Sachin Ahir joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena ahead of the Maharashtra Legislative Council deputy chairman election.
Ahir, a former Worli MLA and one of Aaditya Thackeray’s close associates, also filed his nomination for the post of deputy chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council shortly after joining the Shinde camp.
Confirming the development, Shrikant Shinde said Ahir had officially joined the Shiv Sena and was handed the party’s nomination papers for the election.
Ahir started his political career with the Congress before switching to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He later joined the undivided Shiv Sena after Aaditya Thackeray entered electoral politics from the Worli constituency, a move that was widely seen as strengthening the party’s prospects in the seat.
Fresh blow to the Uddhav Thackeray camp
Ahir’s defection marks yet another setback for the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction, which has continued to face political challenges since the Shiv Sena split in 2022. That rebellion saw Eknath Shinde walk away with the majority of the party’s MLAs before eventually securing the Shiv Sena’s name and election symbol.
The latest development comes just days after six Lok Sabha MPs from Shiv Sena (UBT) crossed over to the Shinde-led faction, further consolidating Shinde’s position within the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
The MPs formally merged with the Shinde camp after days of speculation. Describing the development at the time, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had called it the “second phase” of the 2022 Shiv Sena rebellion.
