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The candidate, Mayur Shinde, filed his nomination papers on December 30, the last day for submissions, as a candidate of Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Elections to the 131-member Thane Municipal Corporation will be held on January 15. (File image)
A man with an extensive criminal record switched political parties twice within eight days before finally securing a ticket for the upcoming Thane Municipal Corporation elections in Maharashtra.
The candidate, Mayur Shinde, filed his nomination papers on December 30, the last day for submissions, as a candidate of Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), even as long-time party workers in Thane expressed resentment over being denied tickets, NDTV reported.
Shinde was associated with Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena until December 22. On December 23, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of state BJP president Ravindra Chavan, hoping to get a ticket from the party for Savarkar Nagar (Ward No. 14). However, after failing to secure the BJP nomination, he switched sides again at the last moment to join Ajit Pawar’s NCP, which eventually fielded him as a candidate.
The candidate faces serious criminal charges, including murder, attempt to murder and extortion, and has also been booked earlier under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). He had earlier come into the spotlight after being arrested for allegedly threatening Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut.
In 2017, he had sought a ticket from the then-undivided Shiv Sena, but was denied.
The incident has triggered criticism within political circles, particularly from grassroots workers, amid heightened competition in the Thane civic polls.
Elections to the 131-member Thane Municipal Corporation will be held on January 15, with counting scheduled for January 16. In the contest, the BJP is fighting 40 seats, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is contesting 87 seats. Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) have formed an alliance in Thane, while the Congress and Ajit Pawar’s NCP are contesting all 131 seats independently.
Thane, India, India
December 31, 2025, 22:46 IST
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