Jolt to Uddhav Sena as key Aaditya aide joins Shinde camp, files Council nomination
A close Aaditya Thackeray confidant, Sachin Ahir joined the Shinde camp and filed his nomination for Maharashtra Legislative Council deputy chairman
In a fresh setback to Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sachin Ahir on Tuesday (June 30) filed his nomination for the post of deputy chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council on behalf of the rival Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde.
Also read | What Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs’ defection means for Shinde, BJP and Maharashtra politics
The surprise move by Ahir, a close confidante of Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, comes days after six MPs ditched the opposition party to join the ruling Shiv Sena.
Uddhav Sena downplays setback
Ahir submitted his nomination as a Mahayuti candidate in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar.
Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve confirmed that MLC Jagannath Abhyankar is the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) nominee.
Talking to reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan, Maharashtra Minister and Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant said, “Sachin Ahir is a senior MLC and he has raised his voice for the people of Mumbai. I am happy that such an experienced leader is coming with the Shiv Sena. We have checked all the legal side, and then this decision was taken.”
Downplaying the development, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Sunil Raut asserted that the Uddhav Thackeray-led party has weathered several and remained intact. “We have received many shocks, but the party was never finished. This shock is not a big one for Shiv Sena (UBT),” he told reporters in Vidhan Bhavan.
Blow to Aaditya’s bastion
Ahir is a former MLA from the Worli constituency. In 2019, Aaditya Thackeray brought him into the undivided Shiv Sena from the NCP to pave the way for his own electoral debut and strengthen the party's local organisation in the constituency. Ahir's exit could weaken the ground-level support, resource network and organisational structure that have been key to protecting Aaditya Thackeray's home turf.
A seasoned Mumbai politician, Ahir has long-standing ties with the city's labour movement and trade unions, including the Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh. For the Shiv Sena, whose political strength has traditionally rested on local workers and grassroots karyakartas, losing a prominent Mumbai leader is a significant setback to its organisational base.
Soon after switching sides, Ahir filed his nomination as the ruling Mahayuti alliance’s candidate for the post of Deputy Chairperson of the Maharashtra Legislative Council. If the Shinde-led alliance secures the position, the UBT faction will cede another key position within the state’s legislative setup.
Shinde scores strategic gain
Ahir began his political career with the Congress before moving to the NCP. He later crossed over to the undivided Shiv Sena, where he emerged as one of the party's prominent Mumbai leaders and a close aide of Aaditya Thackeray.
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Ahir’s switch comes as Uddhav Thackeray continues to grapple with political turbulence, four years after the 2022 Shiv Sena split in which Shinde walked away with the support of a majority of the party’s MLAs and later secured the party’s name and symbol.
The development also comes on the heels of last week’s defection of six Lok Sabha MPs from Sena (UBT) to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, further bolstering Shinde's position within the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
The six MPs formally merged with the Shinde faction after days of speculation, with the deputy chief minister calling the move the “second phase” of the 2022 rebellion.