In a jolt to the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, its Mumbai unit chief Sachin Ahir joined the ruling Shiv Sena on Thursday.
Elections are due in the state in September-October. Soon after joining the Sena, Ahir announced that he would contest the election from Byculla in south Mumbai.
The NCP said Ahir deserted the party because he was not confident of winning election on his own, and his exit will have no impact on its poll prospects.
Ahir, 47, who was a minister in the past Congress-NCP government in the state, joined the Sena here in the presence of its president Uddhav Thackeray and Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray.
Welcoming Ahir, Uddhav, in an apparent jibe at ally BJP, said breaking up other parties was not Sena's style.
"SachinAhir has joined us willingly and happily. I assure him that he will not regret his decision," he added.
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Ahir, who was with the NCP since its formation in 1999, represented Shivdi Assembly seat in Mumbai from 1999 to 2009 and was later elected from Worli. But in 2014, he lost to Shiv Sena's Sunil Shinde from Worli.
Ahir announced in the evening that he will contest from Byculla this time.
"Sharad Pawar will be in my heart. But I will have Aaditya and Uddhav-ji's strength in my body to work for the Shiv Sena," he said.
Saying he had no grudge against the NCP, Ahir said "some unavoidable political decisions had to be taken considering the prevailing situation."
"Shiv Sena is in power in most of the municipal corporations. I can use the expertise I gained as a minister for the development of cities. Hence, I decided to work for the development of cities by being in power," he said.
Aaditya Thackeray said Ahir and he know each other for long. "Despite being in different parties we realised that our goal and aim is development of urban areas," he added.
Reacting to the development, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said Ahir crossed over to the Shiv Sena because he was not confident of winning under his own steam.
"We are saddened by how we were backstabbed by a leader we trusted....This will have no impact on our poll prospects," Malik said.
Malik also claimed that Ahir did not do justice to his role as NCP's Mumbai unit chief in the past five years.
Later, addressing a meeting of party workers, Malik attacked Ahir over his statement that he was "pained" to leave the Sharad Pawar-led party.
"The one who did not realise Pawar Saheb's dream, would he be able to realise the dream of (late Shiv Sena founder) Balasaheb Thackeray? He has gone there to realise his own dreams," Malik said.
The NCP will organise a huge rally here on August 9 to show its strength, he said.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
