Gajanan Kirtikar joins Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena in the presence of CM Eknath Shinde. (Express)In a setback for the Uddhav Thackeray faction, Gajanan Kirtikar, the Shiv Sena MP from Mumbai (North-West), on Friday joined the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena. With this, Kirtikar became the 13th MP to ditch the Uddhav camp.
One of the senior-most Shiv Sena MPs in Lok Sabha, Kirtikar joined the party in the presence of Shinde during an event at Ravindra Natyamandir in Prabhadevi. The event was organised by MP Rahul Shewale and MLA Sada Sarvankar to felicitate the CM.
Earlier in June, a total of 39 MLAs from undivided Shiv Sena, including Shinde, launched a rebellion to overthrow the previous MVA regime under Uddhav Thackeray. The rebels then joined hands with BJP to form a new government in the state
Following the rebellion of MLAs, 12 MPs of the party had joined the Shinde faction in July.