Ravindra Dhangekar To Quit Congress, May Join Eknath Shinde-Led Shiv Sena

There has been speculation for the last few months that Dhangekar, who won the Kasba assembly seat in Maharashtra's Pune district during a bypoll in 2023, might join the ruling Shiv Sena.

Dhangekar said he would meet Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday evening.

Source : PTI

Former Congress MLA Ravindra Dhangekar on Monday said he would quit the grand old party and indicated that he might join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

There has been speculation for the last few months that Dhangekar, who won the Kasba assembly seat in Maharashtra's Pune district during a bypoll in 2023, might join the ruling Shiv Sena.

In the last year's Lok Sabha polls, the Congress fielded him from Pune constituency, but he lost to BJP's Murlidhar Mohol.

Dhangekar also contested the 2024 state assembly poll from Kasba seat, but was defeated by BJP's Hemant Rasne.

In the 2023 Kasba seat bypoll, Dhangekar had defeated Rasne.

Speaking to reporters here, Dhangekar said he would meet Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday evening and after that, a decision to join the party would be taken.

"It is painful to leave the Congress. Everybody made efforts for me in the elections but there are sentiments of my supporters and voters that I should take a decision to ensure that (development) works in the constituency (Kasba) take place," he said.

Dhangekar said he recently met Shinde as well as cabinet minister Uday Samant (of Shiv Sena), who offered him to work with them.

"Following discussions with my supporters and voters, it was decided that we should work with Shinde, who is known as the representative of the common man. I will be meeting him today and accordingly, a decision will be made," he said. 

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