Shiv Sena leaders join BJP ahead of Ambernath civic polls, raising questions over Mahayuti Unity

THANE: Even as senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena continue to assert that there is unity in the Mahayuti and they in alliance will contest upcoming municipal corporation elections together, political developments on the ground are telling a different story.

Ahead of the Ambernath Municipal Council elections scheduled for the 20th of December of this month, two key Shiv Sena office-bearers, along with many of supporters, have switched sides and joined the BJP, citing dissatisfaction with their treatment within the party.


On Sunday, Shiv Sena’s sub-city office-bearer Sameer Yashwant Mhatre and city women’s organiser Sonia Mhatre formally joined the BJP in Ambernath. The induction took place in the presence of BJP Maharashtra State Council member Gulabrao Karanjule-Patil and Kalyan district general secretary Abhijit Karanjule-Patil.


Speaking to the media, Sameer and Sonia Mhatre expressed strong resentment over what they described as unfair treatment by the Shiv Sena leadership, particularly during election time. They said that despite working consistently for the party for over a decade and actively engaging in social work in Vadol village, they were ignored when key decisions were made. This alleged injustice, they said, compelled them to quit Shiv Sena and join the BJP.


BJP leaders stated that many more workers are keen to join the party and that the Mhatres’ induction had been planned earlier but was delayed due to certain reasons. BJP leader Gulabrao Karanjule-Patil assured that the new entrants would be treated with respect and given proper opportunities to work within the party.


Meanwhile, on the same day, BJP Maharashtra president Ravindra Chavan and Kalyan Lok Sabha MP Shrikant Shinde, despite reported differences in recent days, jointly performed the ground-breaking ceremony for a KDMC project in Dombivli, signaling that all is well within the Mahayuti alliance.


However, the defection of Shiv Sena leaders in the midst of the Ambernath Municipal Council elections in Kalyan loksabha region has raised fresh questions about the alliance’s ground-level coordination. With hundreds of workers joining the BJP just days before the polls, the party’s strength in Ambernath appears to be growing significantly, potentially altering the local political equation.