Uddhav Thackeray's Close Aide Bhushan Desai Joins Eknath Shinde Faction Of Shiv Sena

Bhushan Desai's father, Subhash Desai, is a close confidant of the Thackeray family and served as the Minister of Industries and Mines during the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime in Maharashtra.

Bhushan Desai with Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde on Monday.

In a major blow to former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, his close aide and son of the UBT faction leader Subhash Desai, Bhushan, joined CM Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena on Monday. The move comes ahead of the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections and is being viewed as a crucial development in the political landscape of Maharashtra.

Bhushan Desai switched camps in the presence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. His decision is being considered a major setback for Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena. This comes on the heels of Thackeray losing the name and election symbol of Shiv Sena to the Shinde faction, which the Election Commission had deemed to be the "real Shiv Sena".

Bhushan Desai's father, Subhash Desai, is a close confidant of the Thackeray family and served as the Minister of Industries and Mines during the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime in Maharashtra. Bhushan Desai, on the other hand, had been accused in the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) land scam case in the assembly session, for which the government had ordered an inquiry.

The move by Bhushan Desai to join the Shinde faction is being seen as a significant development, particularly given the upcoming BMC elections. The BMC is the richest municipal corporation in India and is crucial for political parties looking to gain a foothold in Maharashtra's political landscape.

Reacting to the development, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray said: "Bhushan Desai is not an active member of UBT (faction) but his father Subhash Desai has been with us for many years. Anyone who wants to jump into a washing machine can jump."

Uddhav Thackeray had previously moved the Supreme Court opposing the Election Commission's decision to allot the name and symbol of Shiv Sena to the Shinde faction.

During the hearing, the counsel for Uddhav Thackeray's faction argued that they had the support of a majority of the party's members and had been recognized as the real Shiv Sena by the party's founder, Bal Thackeray. They also argued that the Eknath Shinde-led faction had been formed through illegal means.

On the other hand, the counsel for the Eknath Shinde-led faction argued that they had the support of a majority of the party's MLAs and had been recognized by the Election Commission as the real Shiv Sena. They also argued that Uddhav Thackeray's faction had been formed without following due process.

However, the Supreme Court refused to accept the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena and allowed the Thackeray faction to retain the name Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the election symbol of 'burning torch' until further orders.