Member of Legislative Assembly Harshawardhan Jadhav, who was elected with an MNS ticket and resigned from the party in January, has decided to join Shiv Sena during its Dussehra rally, even while it was assumed that he would join the NCP. He had differences with MNS chief Raj Thackeray since the incident where he was brutally beaten up by the police while agitating against toll collection and Mr Thackeray had approved of the police action. Mr Jadhav met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at Matoshree on Wednesday.
He was elected as an MNS candidate from Kannad constituency in the 2009 state Assembly election, but quit the party on January 8 this year alleging that party chief Raj Thackeray disregarded him in the local body elections. For the past seven to eight months, he had been working independently and according to sources in the Shiv Sena, he had no option, but to join the saffron party.
Confirming Mr Jadhav’s meeting with Mr Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena spokesperson Dr Neelam Gorhe said, “He (Mr Jadhav) indicated that he would accept the ideology of Shiv Sena. When he was in trouble (when he was of brutally beaten up by the police), keeping political differences aside, Shiv Sena helped him. Whatever be his next political direction, we, as a party, will keep a positive attitude towards Mr Jadhav,” she said. Mr Jadhav could not be reached for a reaction, while MNS has also not commented on his move.
A political observer said that Mr Jadhav would have to resign from his post as member of Assembly before joining the Shiv Sena. The party would give him a ticket for the byelection, which will give him a period of mere eight to nine months, if he wins the election.
According to a source from Shiv Sena, Kannad constituency is a stronghold of Shiv Sena. Mr Jadhav, who is the son of Raybhan Jadhav, a former MLA of Congress had won the assembly election only because of his father’s ideology. Raybhan Jadhav was a close aide of Shankarrao Chavan, the then chief minister and had worked on water conservation in the Marathwada region. “The MNS factor had no presence in 2009 and even now in Kannad constituency,” claimed the source.