In yet another setback to the Opposition NCP ahead of the October 2019 State Assembly polls, former MLA Dhanraj Haribahu Mahale — who had quit the Shiv Sena and joined the Sharad Pawar-led party and contested the recent Lok Sabha polls from Dindori constituency — returned to the parent party on Friday.
Mahale, who had unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls on an NCP ticket, rejoined the Shiv Sena in the presence of its president Uddhav Thackeray. Uddhav welcomed Mahale back into the Sena by tying a saffron thread on the latter’s hand symbolising ‘Shiv Bandhan’ and handing him a party flag.
The NCP has been losing its leaders to the ruling Shiv Sena and BJP one after another in recent months in the run-up to the State Assembly polls.
First, it was NCP’s former minister and once Pawar’s close-confidant Jaydutta Kshirsagar from Beed district in Marathwada who quit the NCP and joined the Shiv Sena on May 22, 2019. later on July 10, sitting MLA from Shahpur Pandurang Barora quit the NCP and entered the Sena. Later, NCP’s Mumbai unit president Sachin Ahir quit the party and joined the ruling Shiv Sena on July 25.
Similarly, three sitting MLAs Shivrajendra Bhosale (Satara), Vaibhav Pichad (Akole in Ahmednagar district) and Sandeep Naik (Airoli in Navi Mumbai), NCP’s former state NCP president and Sharad Pawar’s erstwhile confidant Madhukar Pichad, Navi Mumbai’s former Mayor Sagar Naik and NCP’s former women president Chitra Wagh joined the BJP on July 31.
Mahale’s re-entry to the Shiv Sena is a classic case of political musical chair game being witnessed in Maharashtra ahead of the State Assembly polls. Mahale had quit the Shiv Sena to contest the Lok Sabha polls on a NCP.