Rupesh Mhatre, chief of Bhiwandi in Thane district, joins Shiv Sena (Shinde) faction
As the date for the Maharashtra Assembly elections approaches, defections by party leaders appear to be on the rise. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray is shocked. His party’s Thane district Bhiwandi president and former MP Rupesh Mhatre has quit the party. Rupesh Mhatre joined the Shiv Sena along with thousands of Shiv Sainiks. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde welcomed him to his party.
Rupesh Mhatre and thousands of his workers came to meet CM Shinde, who welcomed him into his party. However, Rupesh Mhatt’s Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray’s party have been at loggerheads for days. Rupesh was expelled from the party by Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray for making anti-party remarks.
Massive operation against Uddhav Thackeray rebels
Even before this, Uddhav Thackeray had taken significant action against rebel leaders who opposed his party. Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray expelled five leaders. Uddhav took this step after the deadline for withdrawing nomination papers from Maharashtra expired. Rupesh was also one of the leaders ousted by Uddhav Thackeray. There are also reports that Uddhav Thackeray may take action against more leaders of his party in the coming days. Previously, leaders expelled by Uddhav Thackeray included former MPs Rupesh Mhatre, Vishwas Nandekar, Chandrakant Gurgur (Chandrakant Ghugul), Sanjay Awari and Prasad Thackeray. A massive operation will be launched against Uddhav Thackeray’s rebels ahead of the assembly elections.
Issue an ultimatum to the rebels
It is worth noting that November 4 is the last day to withdraw nominations for the Maharashtra assembly elections. Among MVA’s other allies, many leaders including Shiv Sena and UBT have filed independent nominations as rebels. In this situation, leaders of MVA electorate Sharad Pawar (NCP SP) and Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena UBT) issued an ultimatum to their rebel leaders, giving them a final Chance. He had said that the party would take stern action if the names were not withdrawn on time. Meanwhile, many leaders have withdrawn their names, but many are still standing by their decisions.
