Join Eknath Shinde camp, with one former corporator moving to BJP
(From left) Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, along with former MNS spokesperson Hemant Kamble, and Mumbai Senate Member Sudhakar Tamboli. PICS/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
In a major setback to the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) ahead of the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, nearly half a dozen party leaders, including a former corporator, a former University of Mumbai Senate member, and a party spokesperson, have quit over the last few days.
Former corporator Santosh Dhuri met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis late on Monday night, and a day later joined the BJP. Dhuri is a close aide of MNS Mumbai unit chief Sandeep Depshande. Speaking with mid-day, Dhuri said, “I decided to quit as MNS chief Raj Thackeray surrendered his party to Sena UBT, headed by Uddhav Thackeray.”
Meanwhile, former Shiv Sena (undivided) corporator Raja Chougule, who had earlier joined the MNS, has also resigned from the party. Chougule, along with MNS spokesperson Hemant Kamble, on Tuesday joined the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde.
In recent days, several other senior MNS leaders have also switched sides. These include former University of Mumbai Senate Member Sudhakar Tamboli and senior party leader Prakash Mahajan, the brother of late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan. Both leaders have joined Shinde’s Shiv Sena.
(From left) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with former corporator Santosh Dhuri and BJP leader Nitesh Rane
Raj Thackeray had quit the Shiv Sena in 2005, claiming he was being sidelined within the party, especially by his cousin Uddhav Thackeray and the latter’s close aides. A year later, in 2006, Raj formed the MNS, reviving the “sons of the soil” agenda on the same plank on which his uncle, the late Bal Thackeray, founded the Shiv Sena in 1966.
The MNS made its electoral debut in the 2007 Mumbai civic elections, winning seven seats. The party improved its performance in 2012, securing 27 seats — its best showing in Mumbai so far. However, its strength declined after that, and in the 2017 civic polls, the MNS won only seven seats. Six of these candidates later shifted to Uddhav Thackeray’s camp when the Shiv Sena was still undivided.
The downward trend continued in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, where the MNS failed to win a single seat despite contesting more than 110 of the 288 constituencies. Even Raj’s son Amit Thackeray lost his electoral debut from the Mahim Assembly constituency, finishing third.
Now, burying 19 years of differences, the Thackeray cousins have come together for a cause of Marathi and Maharashtra. But, many party cadres from both camps have been upset with their leadership over ticket distribution and other issues, leading to mass exodus from the MNS.
The string of exits comes at a crucial time for the MNS as it fights to retain political relevance following its poor performance in the 2024 Assembly elections and prepares for the upcoming BMC polls, widely seen as one of the most prestigious civic battles in the country.
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