Shiv Sena’s outgoing corporator jumps ship, others may desert Thackeray camp

After most of the Shiv Sena corporators in Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, and Navi Mumbai joined chief minister Eknath Shinde-led faction, the outgoing corporators in Mumbai could follow suit.

On Tuesday, Sheetal Mhatre, former Sena corporator from Dahisar, walked into the Shinde camp with her supporters. She met the CM along with local MLA Prakash Surve and extended her support to him. Sena corporators Samadhan Sarvankar and Yashwant Jadhav are already with Shinde.

“I have decided to support Shinde since he is taking forward the ideals of Sena founder late Balasaheb Thackeray and late Sena leader Anand Dighe,” Mhatre said.

In the run-up to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls, some more Sena corporators are likely to switch sides.

Of the 14 Sena MLAs in Mumbai, five are with the Shinde faction. They are Sada Saravankar, Mangesh Kudalkar, Dilip Lande, Yamini Jadhav, and Prakash Surve. Several corporators from the areas represented by these five MLAs could jump ship in the coming days.

Eight MLAs, including Aaditya Thackeray, are with the Uddhav Thackeray camp while one MLA Ramesh Latke died earlier this year. Sena had won 84 seats in the Mumbai civic polls held in 2017.

However, the outgoing corporators who have remained loyal to Thackeray criticised Mhatre and others for joining the Shinde faction.

Rajul Patel, a five-term corporator for more than 25 years from Andheri (west), said, “Majority of corporators from Mumbai stands with Thackeray, come what may. Those who are abandoning the party are doing it for their own ambitions like money and fame. They are not true Shiv Sainiks.”

Anil Kokil, Sena corporator from Lalbaug, who has been associated with the party since 1979, said that in the next civic elections, the Thackeray camp would have the maximum number of seats.

“There is no point in switching sides because all the corporators from Mumbai stand with Thackeray and we are all followers of Bal Thackeray’s ideology. Voters in my constituency have affirmed their support. I have been with the party for more than four decades now and I understand the pulse of every voter.”