Former Maharashtra Minister and Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP SP) leader Vinayakrao Patil has quit the party and joined the ruling Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Vinayakrao Patil, along with former Shiv Sena (UBT) Latur district chief Santosh Somvanshi, was formally inducted into the party at a ceremony held in Thane on Monday, an official statement issued by Shinde's office stated.