Uddhav's close aide Ravindra Waikar joins Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena

Mumbai: In a big jolt to Uddhav Thackeray, close Thackeray-family aide and legislator Ravindra Waikar — who was on the radar of central agencies in connection with construction of a luxury-hotel — on Sunday joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

The 65-year-old Waikar had closely worked with late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray.

The strength of the Shiv Sena (UBT), headed by Thackeray, has come down by one to 15, while the Shinde camp’s strength grew by one, to 40.

Waikar is a four-time Corporator of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and a three-time MLA from Jogeshwari East constituency in Mumbai.

Waikar had been the four-time Chairman of BMC’s Standing Committee, which controls the civic body’s treasury and a minister in the erstwhile Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP-Shiv Sena saffron alliance government.

“Ravindra Waikar is a very good worker…whether it is in the BMC or Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, he has contributed a lot,” Shiv Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar, who represents Mumbai North West.

“I have been working with Shiv Sena for 50 years,” Waikar said and spoke about issues related to his area of influence, including working for people of Aarey Colony.

Waikar expressed confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shinde, who heads the MahaYuti-NDA government.

Shinde said that people have faith in the leadership of Modi. “I welcome Waikar,” he said, adding that he had formed the government inspired by Balasaheb and late Anand Dighe. “Negativity and pessimism is gone and today there is positivity,” he said.

Waikar is under investigation in a money-laundering case in the construction of a luxury hotel on a BMC plot in Mumbai which was originally meant to be a recreation ground.

Last year the Mumbai police had filed a case against Waikar and five others for alleged cheating after which the ED took over the money laundering part of the case.

Facing a barrage of questions, Shinde said: "If in two-and-a-half-years (when the MVA government was in power) he has seen... that's why he has joined us."

Asked about the case, Waikar said that the court's observations are very clear. Incidentally, the development comes a day after Thackeray visited Waikar's constituency.