Maharashtra polls: Uddhav Thackeray expels five Sena members for anti-party activities | Mumbai news

Mumbai: Amidst mounting tensions in Maharashtra’s pre-election landscape, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray expelled five party office bearers on Tuesday for engaging in anti-party activities, including Rupesh Mhatre from Bhiwandi East.

Mhatre had filed nomination papers as an independent candidate from Bhiwandi East constituency, where Samajwadi Party’s Raish Shaikh is the official Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate. Although Mhatre withdrew his nomination on Monday, the party took action against him for making statements criticising the leadership regarding Muslim appeasement.

The expulsions come at a crucial time as the MVA alliance—comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar)—attempts to present a united front against the ruling coalition of BJP, Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and the Ajit Pawar faction of NCP.

The other four expelled office bearers, all from Yavatmal district, are Vishwas Nandekar and Prasad Thackeray from Vani, Chandrakant Ghugul from Zari, and Sanjay Awari from Maregaon. Their expulsion underscores the party’s strict stance against dissent as Maharashtra heads into a contentious assembly election season.

These disciplinary actions reflect the broader challenges faced by Maharashtra’s opposition parties in maintaining internal cohesion whilst managing complex alliance dynamics in the state’s evolving political landscape.