Ahead of KDMC polls, MNS suffers major setback as two MNS neta resign

KALYAN: The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has suffered another significant blow in Kalyan ahead of the upcoming Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) elections, with senior party leaders Kasturi Desai and her husband Kaustubh Desai announcing their resignation from the party and all organisational posts.

Kasturi Desai is a former corporator and currently served as the city women’s president of the MNS, while Kaustubh Desai is the party’s former city president in Kalyan. Their exit is being seen as a major setback for the party at a crucial time when preparations for the civic polls are underway. In a statement, the Desais said they had taken the decision in the interest of their wards and party workers. Kaustubh Desai added that their future political course would be announced soon.

Speculation about their resignation had been doing the rounds for some time. Last month amid rumours that the Desais might quit the MNS to join another political party, MNS chief Raj Thackeray had called them for a meeting in an attempt to resolve the issue. However, despite the discussions, both leaders formally resigned from the party on Wednesday. Sources indicate that they may join either the Shiv Sena or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), though no official announcement has been made so far.

The Desais’ resignation adds to a series of defections that have weakened the MNS’s organisational strength in Kalyan-Dombivli. Earlier, several MNS leaders and former corporators had also left the party. Last month, MNS Kalyan district president and former corporator Prakash Bhoir, along with two other former corporators and hundreds of supporters, joined the BJP, dealing a major blow to the party’s local unit.

The latest development comes at a time when discussions about a possible grand alliance between the MNS and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) were gaining momentum in Mumbai and Kalyan-Dombivli ahead of the civic elections. Against this backdrop, the defection of key leaders has raised serious questions about the MNS’s organisational stability and electoral preparedness.

With influential leaders exiting the party just months before the KDMC polls, political observers believe the MNS faces an uphill task in retaining its base in Kalyan-Dombivli. All eyes are now on how these developments will impact the party’s performance in the forthcoming municipal elections and whether further defections may follow.