Sachin Ahir of the Shiv Sena (UBT) joined the Shinde faction and submitted his nomination for the Deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Council

Former Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Sachin Ahir joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and filed his nomination for the post of Deputy Speaker in the Maharashtra Legislative Council in Mumbai on Tuesday. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Ministers Sunetra Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde present. | Photo credit: ANI

In a fresh blow to Uddhava Thackeray, Shiv Sena (UBT) President Sachin Ahir on Tuesday (30 June 2026) filed his nomination for the post of Deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Council on behalf of the rival faction led by Eknath Shinde.

Also read | After the split, there is a falling out between the newly inducted Shiv Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs

The surprise move by Mr Ahir, a close confidant of Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, comes days after six MPs quit the opposition party to join the ruling Shiv Sena.

Mr. Ahir submitted his nomination as the Mahayuti candidate in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar.

Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve confirmed that MLC Jagannath Abhyankar is the Maha Vikas Aghadi candidate.

Speaking to reporters at Vidhan Bhavan, Minister of State and Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant said, “Sachin Ahir is a senior MLC and has raised his voice for the people of Mumbai. I am happy that such an experienced leader is coming with Shiv Sena. We went through all the legal aspects and then this decision was taken.” Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Sunil Raut played down the development and said that the Uddhav Thackeray-led party had already made several stops and remained unscathed.

“We received many shocks but the party was never completed. This shock is not big for Shiv Sena (UBT),” he told reporters at Vidhan Bhavan.

Last week, six of the nine Lok Sabha members from the Uddhav Thackeray-led party joined the ruling Shiv Sena.

Published – 30 Jun 2026 14:37 IST