Mumbai: Five former Congress corporators from Dharavi joined Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday.
After the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Shinde camp has now started making inroads in Congress’s bastions in the city. Following the break up from the Thackerays last year in June, the Shinde camp has inducted as many 15 ex-corporators from the Shiv Sena (UBT) to its fold until now. This is the first instance when they have inducted a group of former Congress corporators.
The five former corporators resigned from the party membership on Saturday. The majority of them belong to the Dharavi assembly segment, which is the home turf of Mumbai Regional Congress President Varsha Gaikwad.
Reason for former corporators to join Shinde camp:
The former corporators who resigned from the party membership are Pushpa Koli from Sion Koliwada, Bhaskar Shetti, Babbu Khan and Kunal Mane from Dharavi and Vajid Kurashi from Chandivali. They have blamed Gaikawad's “autocratic style” of working for their decision to join Shinde camp.
Another former corporator of Congress from Andheri Sushama Rai, had earlier joined the Shinde camp. This latest defection from the Congress party is seen as a blow to its unit in the city. The Shinde camp is likely to induct more former corporators before the municipal elections to be in a good bargaining position with the BJP and NCP.
