NCP Navi Mum chief defects to Sena, Mahayuti rift deepens

Namdeo Bhagat joined the Shiv Sena at a programme in Airoli in the presence of Shinde, along with his wife and former corporator Indumati Bhagat and Tanuja Madhavi, a former BJP corporator who had joined the NCP in 2021

NAVI MUMBAI: The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Sunday received a major boost in Navi Mumbai ahead of the civic poll on January 15, with the induction of Namdeo Bhagat, city president of the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Bhagat joined the Shiv Sena at a programme in Airoli in the presence of Shinde, along with his wife and former corporator Indumati Bhagat and Tanuja Madhavi, a former BJP corporator who had joined the NCP in 2021.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde speaks during a party workers' meet held in Airoli ahead of the upcoming Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) elections, in Navi Mumbai on Sunday (PTI)

Bhagat’s defection is significant owing to his organisational experience and his long political trajectory across parties. A former director of the City And Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), he had earlier switched from the Congress to the undivided Shiv Sena before joining the NCP. During the split in NCP in 2023, he aligned with Ajit Pawar and was appointed Navi Mumbai chief of the NCP faction headed by the latter.

Explaining his decision to join the Sena, Bhagat said administrative alignment with the ruling party was essential.

“Redevelopment of MIDC slums, nodes and villages requires government support. The urban development and industries departments, the guardian minister, and the MP – all are from the Shiv Sena. After 40 years in public life, I realised that without institutional backing, work here cannot move,” he said, noting the absence of an NCP MLA in Navi Mumbai.

Shinde, addressing party workers, projected confidence ahead of the January 15 Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) polls.

“We have won the nagar parishad and municipal council polls. This is the biggest‑ever victory for the Shiv Sena. Despite contesting fewer seats (compared to its alliance partner, BJP) our strike rate has been excellent,” he said.

Dismissing criticism that the party’s influence was limited to Mumbai and Thane, he said, “People said we are confined to a few regions. Today we have proved them wrong. The real Shiv Sena has been established.”

Shinde referred to recent inductions into the party, such as Namdeo Bhagat, his daughter Poonam Patil and former corporator MK Madhavi, and said they had joined the Sena because they know the party delivers development. “Our strength comes from Balasaheb Thackeray’s mantra – 80% social work and 20% politics.” He assured workers that while tickets were limited, those left out would be accommodated in other organisational roles.

Bhagat’s induction follows a series of defections reshaping Navi Mumbai politics. On December 16, MK Madhavi joined the Sena with his family. The same day, Poonam Patil, Bhagat’s daughter and then Navi Mumbai Congress chief, crossed over with her husband Mithin Patil and brother‑in‑law Amit Patil, a former corporator.

Parallel churn within the BJP has complicated Mahayuti dynamics. On Saturday, former MLA Sandeep Naik rejoined the BJP, which described the move as an organisational boost. Earlier that day, Thane MP Naresh Mhaske said he had reached out to BJP Navi Mumbai chief Rajesh Patil to explore a civic poll alliance, even as several BJP leaders publicly favoured contesting independently.

With successive high‑profile inductions cutting across party lines, the Shinde‑led Sena has emerged as the principal pole of consolidation in Navi Mumbai. For the Mahayuti, the developments underline a growing contradiction: while the alliance remains intact at the state level, Navi Mumbai is increasingly witnessing open intra‑alliance competition, with the Sena expanding aggressively and the BJP reassessing the cost of partnership ahead of the January civic polls.