New Delhi: In a serious blow to the Uddhav Thackeray faction, former Shiv Sena MLA Rajan Salvi, a prominent figure in the Konkan region, has switched allegiance to Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. The high-profile defection took place at a symbolic ceremony near Anand Math in Thane, with Salvi carrying a bow and arrow, signifying his return to what he considers the true Shiv Sena.
Shinde welcomed Salvi by draping him with the party mantle into the Shinde faction. Numerous other office bearers from the Konkan region also joined Shinde’s party along with Salvi, amplifying the impact of this political shift and signalling a potential erosion of Thackeray’s support base in the coastal region.
Prior to the ceremony, a meeting was held with Shinde, MLA Kiran Samant, and Salvi, during which Salvi declared Shinde his “guru” and expressed his delayed allegiance, stating he finally found the “excuse” he needed to switch sides. “Eknath Shinde was my guru from the beginning. In the past, I could not go with him. But I need an excuse to go. That excuse was needed. I came here. I took Shinde Saheb’s blessings,” Rajan Salvi said.
Salvi, a three-time MLA from Rajapur, began his political journey with the Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena and became active in Shiv Sena around 1993-94. He served as Mayor and District Chief of Ratnagiri, winning Assembly elections in 2009 and 2014. His defeat in the 2024 elections by Kiran Samanta, brother of Uday Samant, led to his resignation as Deputy Leader. He attributed his loss to a lack of support from Vinayak Raut and felt aggrieved when Uddhav Thackeray sided with Raut in the ensuing dispute.
In a press conference, Salvi justified his decision, claiming to be a loyal Shiv Sainik committed to Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology. He stated he presented evidence of sabotage to Uddhav Thackeray but felt ignored, prompting his move to Shinde’s camp. He expressed confidence in Shinde’s leadership and vision for Maharashtra’s development. “From the perspective of development, Maharashtra has accepted the leadership of Eknath Shinde. Under his leadership, Shiv Sena will once again go to the people with bow and arrow,’ he said.
