MLC Sachin Ahir joins Shinde faction, files nomination

In a continuing erosion of its ranks, the Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray lost another senior leader on Tuesday, June 30, as MLC Sachin Ahir defected to the rival group headed by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Ahir immediately filed his nomination as the ruling Mahayuti alliance's candidate for the post of Deputy Chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, an election scheduled for Wednesday.

The nomination was submitted in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar at the Vidhan Bhavan. Ahir's move is seen as a significant political and personal setback for the Thackeray camp, particularly for Aaditya Thackeray, as Ahir was considered a close confidant and a prominent organizational figure in Mumbai's Worli constituency, which Aaditya Thackeray represents.

The defection follows the recent crossover of six Shiv Sena UBT Lok Sabha MPs to the Shinde faction just days earlier. Those MPs were identified as Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar, and Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar. These departures have reduced the Uddhav Thackeray-led group's...