Jagran Correspondent, Mumbai: Just a few weeks after the success of 'Operation Tiger' in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena (UBT) is likely to suffer another setback in the Nashik region. As per the reports, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, after splitting the MPs of Uddhav Sena, has shifted his focus to the Nashik Municipal Corporation. The reports also suggest that several current and former councilors of the Thackeray faction are in contact with Shinde Sena.

No Official Statement From Uddhav Sena

If the reports turn true, this will be a significant setback for the Uddhav Sena ahead of the much-awaited local body elections in Maharashtra. The political landscape of Nashik, a region considered a stronghold of Shiv Sena, will also change overnight if Uddhav Sena faces another split. However, neither Uddhav nor Shinde's camp has given any public statement on this issue yet.

The organizational strength of the Thackeray faction will be affected severely if a large number of councilors join the Shinde faction in the Nashik region. The Shinde Sena has been working on strategies to strengthen its organization in the past few months to increase its seats in the upcoming municipal elections.

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Uddhav Meets Party Senior Leaders

While the Thackeray camp has not responded to these reports, the party leadership has met the senior leaders to keep the organization intact. Earlier, six of the total nine Lok Sabha MPs of Uddhav Sena switched sides with the Shinde-led party, leading to another setback to Uddhav Thackeray.

Apart from this, Legislative Council member Sachin Ahir, an alleged close ally of Aditya Thackeray, also joined the Shinde Sena. Uddhav Thackeray, while addressing the supporters, criticized those who left the party and advised the other leaders to remain intact.

He further slammed the BJP leaders for allegedly trying to influence the opposition leaders by threatening them and offering money. While responding to these allegations, Shinde stated that the leaders are leaving Thackeray due to their compromises with their ideology.

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