Ex-MLA Dhangekar to quit Congress; hints switch over to Shiv Sena a

Former Maharashtra Congress MLA Ravindra Dhangekar to quit party, likely to join Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde.

Former Maharashtra Congress MLA Ravindra Dhangekar on Monday (March 10, 2025) said he would quit the grand old party and indicated that he might join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

There has been speculation for the last few months that Mr. Dhangekar, who won the Kasba Assembly seat in Maharashtra's Pune district during a bypoll in 2023, might join the ruling Shiv Sena.

In the last year's Lok Sabha polls, the Congress fielded him from Pune constituency, but he lost to BJP's Murlidhar Mohol.

Mr. Dhangekar also contested the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly poll from Kasba seat, but was defeated by BJP's Hemant Rasne.

In the 2023 Kasba seat bypoll, Mr. Dhangekar had defeated Mr. Rasne.

Speaking to reporters here, Mr. Dhangekar said he would meet Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday (March 10) evening and after that, a decision to join the party would be taken.

"It is painful to leave the Congress. Everybody made efforts for me in the elections but there are sentiments of my supporters and voters that I should take a decision to ensure that (development) works in the constituency (Kasba) take place," he said.