In a significant political shake-up ahead of the much-anticipated BMC elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) suffered a major setback on Sunday as former corporator and recently appointed party spokesperson Sanjana Ghadi, along with her husband Sanjay Ghadi, joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction. Their switch, just four days after Sanjana’s appointment as spokesperson, comes as a surprise and has rattled the Uddhav Thackeray camp.
The induction ceremony, held in the presence of Shinde, also saw the joining of former corporator Nana Ambole, several deputy branch heads, group leaders, branch presidents, and hundreds of grassroots workers. Addressing the gathering, Shinde declared, “Shiv Sena is a party of workers, not bosses. I, too, am a common worker like you.”
Speaking to the media, Sanjana Ghadi said, “Uddhav Thackeray is taking wrong decisions based on poor advice from those around him. In the Assembly elections, wrong candidates were given tickets, which disappointed many leaders and workers in my area.”
She also raised concerns about inconsistent decision-making within UBT, saying, “When the spokesperson list was released, my name was initially missing and added later. What had I done wrong to be excluded in the first place?”
Meanwhile, Nana Ambole, who joined Shinde’s camp alongside the Ghadis, has been given responsibility as coordinator for the Worli and Shivdi Assembly constituencies, further strengthening Shinde's city presence.
Key post for Salvi in UBT
As the Shinde camp celebrates its new additions, Shiv Sena (UBT) is making strategic moves of its own to hold onto its stronghold in central Mumbai. Uddhav has appointed Sudhir Salvi – the long-serving honorary secretary of the iconic Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Mandal – as the party's secretary, in what is being seen as a calculated move to retain the Marathi vote bank in Lalbaug and Parel.
Salvi, who has been associated with the Ganesh Mandal for over 20 years and commands significant influence in the region, was previously overlooked for a ticket from Shivdi constituency during the Assembly elections. His appointment is seen as an attempt to placate disgruntled supporters and mobilize efforts for the upcoming civic polls.
