Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday said that it has expelled its Jalna district chief, Bhaskar Ambekar, for allegedly engaging in activities deemed to be against the interests of the party.
According to an official statement issued by the party’s central office, the action was taken under the direction of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.
The statement said that Ambekar’s conduct amounted to anti-party activities and therefore warranted immediate expulsion.
Party leader and secretary Vinayak Raut announced the decision in a press release, confirming that the expulsion order came from the party chief.
The statement did not provide further details about the nature of the alleged misconduct but made it clear that such behaviour would not be tolerated within the organisation.
The move is seen as part of a broader effort by Uddhav Thackeray’s faction to maintain discipline and strengthen internal unity, particularly as the party continues to rebuild its political base in Maharashtra ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra local body elections.
Meanwhile, with less than three months left for the BMC and 28 other municipal corporations to hold elections, it is still unclear whether Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) will be part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. Congress state president Harshwardhan Sapkal stated that there is no formal proposal to include MNS as the new partner in the MVA.
A day after MVA and MNS announced to stay united for local polls to fight BJP and its allies, the MVA leaders from Maharashtra briefed the media in Mumbai about their plans. “The Congress alone cannot decide on the inclusion of the MNS. All stakeholders of the INDIA bloc parties will sit together and decide on the issue,” Sapkal added.
On November 1, all Opposition parties (Maha Vikas Aghadi), including the MNS, had organised a protest rally in Mumbai against the irregularities in the electoral rolls. However, Sapkal’s absence from the rally had become a talking point as many in the Opposition, on condition of anonymity, claimed that the Congress was reluctant to have any proximity with the MNS for the latter’s tirade against the non-Marathi speaking people in Maharashtra, especially Mumbai.
Earlier, NCP chief Sharad Pawar had suggested that to avoid a split in the Opposition votes, the Congress should consider having MNS on board with MVA.
