Overlooked for MLC polls, Anand Paranjape quits NCP and joins Shiv Sena

Mumbai: Two weeks after he was overlooked for the MLC polls, with the NCP giving the ticket to Zeeshan Siddique, party spokesperson and former MP Anand Paranjape resigned from the NCP. The Thane-based leader joined the Shiv Sena the same day, donning a saffron scarf and flanked by ministers Dada Bhuse and Uday Samant.

“I have returned to the Shiv Sena after a 14-year exile. An exile is not a bad thing. Shri Ram went into exile and returned after killing Ravana,” he said. When asked who was the ‘Ravana’, he said, “Anything which goes against the interests of the state and its people is like Ravana.”

Paranjape claimed he was not unhappy in the NCP, but returned to the Shiv Sena because he was inspired by Eknath Shinde. His decision could create bitterness between the NCP and Shiv Sena, allies in the Mahayuti government.

In his resignation letter, Paranjape said he was quitting as general secretary, spokesperson, and also from the primary membership of the party. In his letter addressed to NCP chief and deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar, he thanked the party for entrusting him with key responsibilities.

He posted on X, “Many emotions are surging in my heart. My 14-year journey in the NCP, the love and trust I received from all leaders, office-bearers and workers will remain etched in my memory. Today, with an extremely heavy heart, I am concluding this journey and stepping onto a new path to begin a fresh journey.”

Paranjape’s exit will be a loss for the NCP, since he has a strong following in the Thane-Palghar belt.

His father Prakash Paranjape was an MP and prominent Shiv Sena leader under Bal Thackeray. Anand Paranjape joined the Shiv Sena and followed his father’s footsteps after his death by winning the Lok Sabha bypoll from Thane in 2008, followed by the Kalyan Lok Sabha poll. In 2012, he left the Shiv Sena and joined the NCP under Sharad Pawar. In 2014, lost the Lok Sabha polls that year to Shrikant Shinde, Eknath Shinde’s son. In 2023, he joined Ajit Pawar’s party after the NCP split.