Senior politician and women’s activist Dr Manisha Kayande, an MLC from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) is set to join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
Dr. Kayande was not available for comments.
The development takes place on the eve of the 57th anniversary of the Balasaheb Thackeray-founded saffron party - which has not vertically split.
Dr. Kayande would be the second MLC from the Thackeray group to join the Shinde camp.
Of the 56 MLAs, 40 MLAs are with the Shinde camp while 16 are with Thackeray. Of the 18 MPs from Maharashtra, 13 are with Shinde while 5 are with Thackeray.
“There are many people who are joining and are interested in joining Shinde saheb,” Shiv Sena spokesperson and MLA Sanjay Shirsat said.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) has slammed the people who are moving out.
“There are some people who come to serve their self-interest and later go…I must admit that there has been a mistake on our part by taking such people and giving them posts,” Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said.
“Some people who are selfish come and go…we have had an idea about this for the last couple of months,” added Lok Sabha MP from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Vinayak Raut.
Published 18 June 2023, 10:17 IST