Mumbai: Former Shiv Sena UBT corporator Tejasvee Ghosalkar on Monday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, triggering fresh political churn in north Mumbai ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections. Her switch is being seen as a significant setback for the Shiv Sena (UBT), particularly in the Dahisar–Magathane belt, where the party’s organisational strength has been steadily eroding over the past few years.
Joined BJP in Presence of Senior Party Leaders
Tejasvee Ghosalkar, who had served as the women’s wing head of the Sena (UBT) in the Dahisar Assembly constituency, joined the BJP in the presence of Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam and party MLC Pravin Darekar. She is the daughter-in-law of former Shiv Sena MLA Vinod Ghosalkar and the widow of Abhishek Ghosalkar, a former BMC corporator who was shot dead during a Facebook Live broadcast in early 2024. The killing had sent shockwaves across the city and remains under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Speaking to reporters after joining the BJP, Tejasvee Ghosalkar said she had worked with dedication in the Shiv Sena (UBT) and would now put in even greater effort in her new political role. She said she was willing to take on any responsibility entrusted to her by the BJP leadership, while adding that there were several issues she wished to speak about but would do so at an appropriate time. She also expressed dissatisfaction over the pace of the probe into her husband’s murder, stating that the CBI investigation was progressing slowly and hoping it would be completed at the earliest. The Bombay High Court had transferred the case to the CBI in September last year after pointing out lapses and unresolved aspects in the initial police investigation.
Tejasvee Ghosalkar had served as a corporator of the undivided Shiv Sena from 2017 to 2022 and resigned from her posts in the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, citing personal reasons. Her political journey has been marked by internal differences within the Ghosalkar family, which came to the fore during the state Assembly elections last year when both she and her father-in-law were keen to contest from the Dahisar constituency. Eventually, Vinod Ghosalkar contested on a Sena (UBT) ticket but lost to BJP candidate Manisha Chaudhary.
Ward-Level Dispute Said to Be Key Trigger
Sources said the latest flashpoint revolved around the upcoming BMC elections. While Tejasvee Ghosalkar was reportedly keen to contest from Ward No. 1 in Dahisar, her father-in-law was said to be pushing for his second son to contest from the same ward. This dispute, coupled with growing dissatisfaction within the party, is believed to have contributed to her decision to part ways with the Sena (UBT).
Her exit has further weakened the Shiv Sena (UBT) in north Mumbai, especially in the Dahisar and Magathane Assembly constituencies. In the 2017 BMC elections, the then undivided Shiv Sena had put up a strong performance in these areas, winning 10 corporator seats across the two constituencies. At that time, Dahisar and Magathane, along with pockets such as Worli and Sewri, were among the party’s better-performing urban centres, even as it struggled in parts of the western suburbs. However, following the split in the Shiv Sena, a series of defections have drastically reduced the Thackeray faction’s presence in the region. Most former corporators from these areas have joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and with Tejasvee Ghosalkar’s move to the BJP, the Sena (UBT) is now left with only two former corporators in these constituencies.
Party insiders said Tejasvee Ghosalkar had been unhappy within the Sena (UBT) for over a year. In May 2025, she had resigned from her post as Assembly constituency head, publicly expressing displeasure with certain office-bearers, though the party leadership later persuaded her to continue. While tensions appeared to have eased temporarily, they resurfaced after Ward No. 1, considered the Ghosalkar family’s traditional stronghold, was reserved, prompting her to announce that she would not contest the civic polls. The party subsequently asked her to prepare for a contest from Ward No. 7, where she had begun holding meetings and public programmes in recent days. She had even organised events over the weekend and planned another on Monday evening, but before these could take place, she formally severed ties with the Sena (UBT) and joined the BJP.
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