He joined the party in presence of Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and his son & party youth wing president Aaditya Thackeray. Thackeray tied the 'Shiv-bandhan' on the wrist of Ahir, signifying the former Worli MLA’s formal entry to Shiv Sena.
Ahead of his joining, Ahir told the media today that "in politics, tough decisions have to be taken and he was full of pain".
Ahir visited `Matoshree', the residence of Uddhav Thackeray, with his group of supporters who told ABP News that they are hopeful of him getting a ‘respectful’ post in the party. With him jumping the ship, the Shiv Sena is quite likely to give him a ticket in the approaching state polls.
Welcoming Ahir into the party-fold, Uddhav Thackeray, in an apparent jibe at senior ally BJP, said splitting other political parties was not the Sena's tendency, reported PTI.
"I want Sena to grow but not at the cost of morals and ethics," he told reporters here, without naming any party.
The Shiv Sena wants to do politics by"winning the hearts of people", he said. "Sachin Ahir has joined us willingly and happily. I assure him that he will not regret his decision," he said.
In the last couple of weeks, Ahir through his Twitter account had been training guns at the Shiv Sena ruled-Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for its ineptitude in dealing with the incessant rainfall in Mumbai.
There is a speculation that some more NCP bigwigs may join the Shiv Sena in the coming days.
5 Things to Know about Sahcin Ahir:
- Sachin Ahir is nephew of former Don Arun Gawli
- Gawli reportedly helped Sachin Ahir get elected from the Sewri assembly constituency in 1999 on NCP ticket.
- Sachin Ahir’s wife Sangeeta is Bollywood producer
- Ahir held numerous posts in the previous Cong-NCP government in the state
- Popularly known as Sachin Bhau, Ahir & his wife are associated with several social causes and is the founder of Shree Sankalp Prathistan, a charitable trust that hosts the Worli Festival and grand Dahi Handi .