NAGPUR: Just hours after resigning from Shiv Sena, former deputy mayor and party ex-district president Shekhar Sawarbandhe on Sunday formally entered Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the presence of senior leader Praful Patel.
Feeling sidelined in the party due to ‘newcomers’, Sawarbandhe decided to bid goodbye to the party which he had joined in 2002.
Speaking to TOI, Sawarbandhe said, “It’s always a tough decision but I am convinced that newcomers, from different parties or those with zero electoral experience, are now calling the shots. This makes the old guard and ground level cadres wonder how much their contribution is valued.”
The last 18 months have seen major changes in Nagpur unit of Shiv Sena, with many new appointments to important posts which naturally led to discontent among those who ‘lost out’. Declining influence of Sawarbandhe within the party, led to speculation in political circles about him rebelling.
In June, Sawarbandhe made a last ditch attempt by reaching out to senior Sena leaders in Mumbai and apprised them about the situation. Sawarbandhe said, “I met cabinet ministers from our party along with those in the party think-tank. But from their body language I could understand their helplessness and inability to rectify the situation. So rather than create a big scene, I took the decision to quit and join NCP.”
Though Sawarbandhe opposed the ‘newcomers’ in Sena, he too will be a newbie in NCP and is likely to face the old guard’s ire. Sawarbandhe said “That’s highly unlikely as I have worked with many of these NCP leaders in the past, so they are my friends.” So has NCP promised him a plum party post ? “I will only play a role in strategizing for local body polls, but I won’t contest myself,” he said.
Starting his political career with the Congress in 1992, Sawarbandhe had entered Shiv Sena exactly 10 years later. In 2014 he rebelled after being denied a poll ticket but was back in the party fold soon. This time however, the break-up is final, feels Sawarbandhe. “It reached a point of no return, but I bear no ill-will with any person,” said Sawarbandhe.
