Maharashtra civic polls: Ex-MLA, a Thackeray loyalist, joins Eknath Shinde's sena

Mumbai: In a jolt to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) ahead of the Mumbai civic body polls, former MLA and loyalist Dagdu Sakpal joined the Eknath Shinde-headed Shiv Sena on Sunday.

Sakpal had served as an MLA multiple times from Mumbai's Lalbaug-Parel-Sewree belt, the stronghold of the Thackerays for more than five decades.

His joining of Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Shinde is symbolic, as Ajay Choudhari has been representing the belt since 2014. But a former MLA joining the Shiv Sena ahead of the civic body polls comes as a boost to Shinde, who has been making efforts to penetrate the Thackeray stronghold.

Shinde last week met Sakpal, leading to speculation that he could switch loyalties.

Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including cash-rich Mumbai, are scheduled on January 15.