Mumbai: After a crushing defeat in the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha polls, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena may face a big jolt as speculations are rife that a senior leader and former MLA Rajan Salvi is on the verge of leaving the party and joining the BJP.
According to sources, Salvi is upset with his party leaders after his defeat in the Vidhan Sabha elections to the rival Shiv Sena candidate Kiran Samant. He met party chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday and expressed dissatisfaction over the circumstances that led to his loss in the elections. He also blamed a prominent party leader for his defeat, accusing the latter of working against him.
Though Salvi said that he is not going to quit Shiv Sena (UBT), he also clarified that he would take the decision at an ‘appropriate time.’
Salvi had represented the Rajapur constituency in the coastal Konkan belt since 2009 but was defeated by Kiran Samant in the November 2024 Vidhan Sabha elections.
For the past couple of days, Salvi has been engaging with party members in Rajapur, Lanja and Dabhol ‘to understand’ their perspectives on his electoral defeat. “I met Uddhav Thackeray. Whatever developments happened in my constituency, whatever my workers told me, has been conveyed to him. He heard the reasons behind my defeat. I hope he will make an appropriate decision,” Salvi said.
However, Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut said that Salvi is a dedicated member of Shiv Sena and is unlikely to leave the party. “Salvi is a staunch Sena man and it is unlikely that he will quit the party," Raut said.
In 2024, Maharashtra Police’s Anti-Corruption Bureau launched an investigation into Salvi regarding allegations of possessing disproportionate assets.