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Updated: Aug 16, 2019 17:52 IST

In another setback for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra, its 2019 Lok Sabha candidate Dhanraj Mahale joined the Shiv Sena on Friday. Mahale, who hails from the Nashik-Dindori region of north Maharashtra, re-joined the party in the presence of Uddhav Thackeray.

Ahead of the state Assembly polls, many senior leaders from the NCP including former minister Jaydutt Kshirsagar, MLA Pandurang Barora, Mumbai unit chief Sachin Ahir, women’s wing leader Chitra Wagh among others have joined the Shiv Sena.

Mahale had quit the Sena to contest the 2019 parliamentary elections from Dindori on a NCP ticket. However, he lost to Bharatiya Janata Party’s Bharati Pawar, who had quit the NCP after the Sharad Pawar led party gave a ticket to Mahale.

“Dhanraj had expressed his desire to come back to the party fold since some time now. Since there were no expectations set by him, he was re-inducted into the Shiv Sena where he will continue to build the party in the region,” said Bhau Chaudhuri, Sena’s sampark pramukh in Nashik district. Sena’s leader-in-charge of Nashik region and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut was also present at the Thackeray residence, ‘Matoshree’, where Mahale was re-inducted.

Mahale, son of former legislator Haribhau Mahale, was elected to the Vidhan Sabha in 2009 on a Sena ticket. Chaudhari added that along with Mahale, Dilip Raut, son of former BJP MP Raut Khachru Bhau was also inducted into the party. “It will strengthen the party in Dindori region. We have a strong presence in the tribal belt,” he said.