Nashik: UBT Deploys Ravindra Mirlekar Amid Buzz Of 12 Corporators Joining Shiv Sena

Nashik: Amid speculation that 12 of the 15 corporators from the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) faction in the Nashik Municipal Corporation may join the Shiv Sena, the UBT camp has gone into damage-control mode. To assess whether any party leaders or office-bearers are encouraging defections and to gauge the actual mood of corporators, the party's contact chief, Ravindra Mirlekar, has arrived in Nashik and begun a series of meetings.

Rumours of an "Operation Tiger" to induct 12 UBT corporators into the Shiv Sena have created a political stir in both camps. It is alleged that a senior leader within the UBT faction has been in touch with the Shiv Sena and is persuading corporators to switch sides.

Against this backdrop, UBT group leader Keshav Porje recently held a press conference and showcased the unity of the party's corporators. Soon after, Ravindra Mirlekar rushed to Nashik on Saturday. He first held a meeting with corporators and later participated in a protest near the Kalaram Temple over the alleged misappropriation of funds related to Ayodhya.

Several Corporators Skip Protest
While nearly a dozen corporators attended the party meeting, Mirlekar congratulated them for displaying unity. However, several corporators were absent from the subsequent protest at Kalaram Temple, raising fresh concerns within the party. Although party leaders attempted to downplay the absences, it emerged that those corporators had not informed the leadership in advance.

For now, the UBT corporators continue to project unity, but party workers are keenly watching whether the ongoing speculation of defections remains just a rumour or turns into reality.