Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Rajan Salvi meets Uddhav amid buzz of quitting party

Mumbai: Amid rumours that he was about to quit the party, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Rajan Salvi on Saturday met Uddhav Thackeray and conveyed to him that he was unhappy over the factors that led to his defeat in the recent assembly elections.

Salvi, who had been representing Rajapur constituency since 2009, lost to the rival Shiv Sena's Kiran Samant in the November 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections.

He has been meeting, for the last two days, party functionaries in Rajapur, Lanja and Dabhol and hearing their views about the reasons for his defeat, he said.

"I met Uddhav Thackeray. Whatever developments happened in my constituency, whatever my workers told me, has been conveyed to him. He heard the reasons behind my defeat. I hope he will make an appropriate decision," Salvi told reporters.

"I am upset about the reasons for the defeat. I have conveyed these feelings to Uddhav Thackeray," he added, hinting that he was unhappy with some people within the party.

When asked if local party functionaries wanted him to join the BJP, he did not give any direct answer.

"Their views and the chronology of events before the defeat have been put forth before the Shiv Sena chief (Thackeray)," Salvi said.

When asked for comment by reporters, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said Salvi is a staunch Sena man, and it is unlikely that he will quit the party.

In 2024, the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Maharashtra Police had initiated probe against Salvi for allegedly possessing disproportionate assets.