Ticket Over Loyalty: Thane Candidate Switches 3 Parties in 8 Days
Criminal case–facing Mayur Shinde finally lands NCP ticket on last day of nominations
- Mayur Shinde shifted from Shiv Sena to BJP to NCP within eight days
- Secured Ajit Pawar-led NCP ticket on final nomination day
- Faces serious criminal charges, including murder and extortion
- Civic polls in Thane scheduled for January 15
GG News Bureau
Thane, 31st Dec: In a dramatic pre-election twist, a man with an extensive criminal record switched political parties twice within just eight days before finally securing a ticket for the Thane civic polls — triggering anger among loyal party workers and raising questions over candidate selection.
Mayur Shinde, who faces serious charges including murder, attempted murder and extortion, filed his nomination papers on December 30 as a candidate of Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the final day for submissions.
Shinde was active in Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena until December 22. The very next day, on December 23, he joined the BJP in the presence of state president Ravindra Chavan, hoping to secure a ticket from Savarkar Nagar (Ward No. 14). When the BJP denied him a ticket, Shinde switched parties again at the last minute, joining Ajit Pawar’s NCP — which finally nominated him.
The candidate has previously been booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and had made headlines earlier for allegedly threatening Uddhav Thackeray faction leader Sanjay Raut. His political ambitions are not new — he had sought a ticket from the undivided Shiv Sena in 2017 but was denied.
The episode has sparked resentment among grassroots workers across parties, many of whom have accused leaderships of ignoring loyal cadres in favour of controversial entrants.
In the upcoming election to the 131-seat Thane Municipal Corporation, the BJP is contesting 40 seats, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena 87, while Ajit Pawar’s NCP and Congress are contesting all seats independently. Following the Mumbai pattern, MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) have also forged an alliance in Thane.
Polling will be held on January 15, with counting scheduled for January 16.
