KALYAN: In a significant political development, four former corporators of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) joined the Shiv Sena led by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday.The induction ceremony was held at the Pimpaleshwar Temple premises in Dombivli in the presence of Kalyan MP and Shiv Sena parliamentary group leader Shrikant Shinde.The leaders who joined the party include former corporators Shailesh Dhatrak, Manisha Dhatrak, Shrikar Chaudhary and Pramila Chaudhary. Several office-bearers and workers from the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) faction as well as the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) also switched allegiance during the event.Addressing party workers, Shrikant Shinde said that under the leadership of deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, the Shiv Sena has been expanding rapidly across Maharashtra, attracting leaders, elected representatives and grassroots workers from various political parties.Among those who joined the party were Yogendra Bhoir, Twinkle Bhoir, Jitu Pednekar, Gayatri Pednekar, Manisha Dhuri, Mamta Ghadigaonkar, Shubhada Desai and Pradeep Jaiswal, along with several other workers from UBT and MNS.During the programme, Shinde also announced the appointment of Sagar Jedhe as Dombivli city coordinator of the Yuva Sena and Sagar Dubey as coordinator for the Kalyan Rural Assembly segment.The induction ceremony coincided with celebrations over the recent transfer of a 4.5-acre land parcel of the historic Pimpaleshwar Temple from MIDC to the temple trust by the state government.Shrikant Shinde before induction ceremony visited the temple and performed a Rudrabhishek ritual, welcoming the government’s decision and appreciating the efforts of citizens and activists who had been pursuing the matter for several years.MLA Rajesh More, district chief Gopal Landge, deputy district chiefs Rajesh Kadam and Ravi Patil, Yuva Sena district president Jiten Patil, city secretary Santosh Chavan and several local office-bearers and party workers were present on the occasion.
