Sachin Ahir joins Shinde faction, files nomination for Legislative Council Deputy Chairman

On Tuesday, Legislative Council member (MLC) Sachin Ahir dealt a major political blow to the Shiv Sena UBT faction by defecting to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in Mumbai. Immediately after switching sides, Ahir filed his nomination for the post of Deputy Chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council.

Ahir, who previously represented the Worli constituency, filed his nomination as the official candidate for the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. During the filing, he was accompanied by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, alongside Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar.

Reacting to the defection, Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi expressed disappointment over the state of modern politics. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Azmi stated that loyalty has almost completely disappeared from the political landscape.

"Nowadays, in politics, there's no telling who will go where," Azmi said. "Loyalty has almost completely disappeared. People only look at where they have better opportunities—whether they can become a minister or where they stand to gain more." He added that this transition represents a very wrong approach to politics.

Ahir’s sudden switch is being viewed as the second phase of the Shinde camp's "Operation Tiger" strategy. This political initiative aims to weaken the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction by attracting its key leaders. The strategy previously succeeded in bringing six Shiv Sena MPs into the Shinde-led fold. Ahir was considered a key figure in strengthening the Shiv Sena UBT's position in the state.

Ahir has a long political history in Mumbai, dating back to the 1990s when he started as a mill workers' union leader. He was first elected as the MLA from Worli in 1999 and secured re-election twice. He subsequently vacated the Worli seat for Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray, who won the constituency in 2014.