Former Sena (UBT) MLA quits party, joins Shinde-led Sena

Former Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Rajan Salvi on Thursday joined the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, a move that is seen as a jolt to party chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Salvi, who represented the Rajapur assembly constituency in Ratnagiri district from 2009-2024, lost the November 2024 assembly polls to Shiv Sena’s Kiran Samant, brother of Industry Minister Uday Samant.

Since then he was upset with the party leaders, blaming them for his electoral defeat.

Salvi had quit as a deputy leader of Sena (UBT) on Wednesday. The party has several functionaries with that designation.

In a letter to Thackeray on Wednesday, Salvi said, “In the prevailing circumstances and amid the internal politics within the organisation, I won’t be able to do justice to my post. Accepting moral responsibility for my defeat, I am resigning as the deputy leader of the party.”

The coastal Konkan region, including Ratnagiri district, was once a stronghold of Thackeray’s party.

Sena (UBT) had a poor showing in last year’s assembly elections winning only 20 of the 288 seats in the state, while rival Shinde Sena bagged 57 seats. PTI PR NR