Jolt to Shiv Sena (UBT) as ex-corporator Tejasvee Ghosalkar joins BJP ahead of Mumbai civic polls

MUMBAI: Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) suffered a jolt ahead of the Mumbai civic polls as Tejasvee Ghosalkar left the party and joined the BJP to ensure that the "work at the local level is not affected."

Tejasvee is the wife of late Abhishek Ghosalkar — both former corporators of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) of the erstwhile undivided Shiv Sena.

It may be recalled, on 8 February, 2024, Abhishek Ghosalkar was killed in a sensational fatal shootout involving Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar and local businessman-philanthropist Mauris Noronha alias Mauris Bhai, who later died by suicide, in the Borivli-Dahisar area of Mumbai.

Abhishek Ghosalkar’s father Vinod Ghosalkar, is a former Shiv Sena MLA from Dahisar in Mumbai and was Chairman of Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).

The Ghosalkar family is known to be quite close to the Thackerays since the days of Balasaheb Thackeray.

The Ward No. 1 of the BMC had been represented by Abhishek Ghosalkar and his wife Tejasvee Ghosalkar earlier - and the couple was popular in the region for their social activities.

Tejasvee Ghosalkar was welcomed to the party by Mumbai BJP President Ameet Satam.

“The Shiv Sena gave me identity....I wanted to work towards development,” she said, adding that she was sure that under the leadership of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the work will continue at ground level.

However, Vinod Ghosalkar when asked about his daughter-in-law, refused to speak in detail. “From the beginning, we are clear…we don’t discuss politics at home,” he said.