Mumbai Politics: Tejasvi Ghosalkar Appointed UBT Sena's Dahisar Chief Amid Defection Rumours

In a strategic move to retain internal stability, UBT Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray has appointed former corporator Tejasvi Ghosalkar as the Dahisar Vidhan Sabha Pramukh. The appointment comes amidst widespread speculation that Ghosalkar was considering switching to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following her reported dissatisfaction with the functioning of the party.

Tejasvi, who is the daughter-in-law of Shiv Sena MLA Vinod Ghosalkar, had recently resigned from all party posts, fueling rumours of her possible defection. Senior party leaders, including Thackeray himself, met with her in an effort to address her grievances and persuade her to stay. Following these discussions, Tejasvi publicly stated her commitment to remaining with UBT Shiv Sena, referring to Uddhav Thackeray as her "family leader."

"I was upset with certain things, but after meeting Uddhav ji, my concerns were addressed. I am with him and have no intentions of joining any other party," she clarified in a recent statement.

Adding to the political intrigue, Tejasvi was recently appointed as a director of the Mumbai District Central Cooperative Bank. The bank is chaired by BJP MLC Praveen Darekar, who said that her appointment filled the vacancy left by her late husband, former corporator Abhishek Ghosalkar, who was shot dead in February last year. Darekar emphasized that her nomination was made with full consensus and in accordance with the bank’s regulations, calling it a goodwill gesture.

The dual appointments both in the bank and within the party have raised eyebrows and led to speculation about Tejasvi's political future. However, the latest developments suggest that UBT Shiv Sena is keen on consolidating support and preventing further desertions.

Vinod Ghosalkar also reiterated his and his daughter-in-law’s loyalty to Uddhav Thackeray, further putting to rest the rumours of a family exit from the party.

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