​​Ready to work under Eknath Shinde’s leadership, says Osmanabad MP Rajenimbalkar

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: In a significant political setback for Shiv Sena (UBT), Osmanabad MP Omprakash Rajenimbalkar on Sunday announced his decision to quit the party and align with deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena.Speaking after a closed-door meeting with supporters in Govardhanwadi village in Dharashiv, Rajenimbalkar framed his move as driven by governance and ground realities. “I have been in politics since 2006, and people know me well as I work for the cause of the common man. I do not have greed for any post or a party. I want to use power to bring smiles to the faces,” he said.The MP pointed to recent electoral setbacks to explain his shift, highlighting the disadvantage of being out of power.

“My party workers and I work around the clock and people are witness to it. We were not short of any efforts, but lost against power,” he said, referring to defeats in local self-governing body polls in Dharashiv.He also said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CM Shinde enabled his discussions with Union home minister Amit Shah over his demand for a CBI appeal in the 2006 murder case of his father, Pawanraje Nimbalkar.Even as he switches camps, Rajenimbalkar, without naming individuals, said his move would not dilute his stand against his uncle, former NCP minister Padamsinh Patil (one of the accused acquitted in the Pawanraje murder case), and Patil’s son and BJP MLA Ranjitsinha Patil.

“Irrespective of parties we belong to, I would not hesitate to stop such mentalities,” he said.Seeking to balance the shift, he maintained a conciliatory tone towards the Thackeray family. He said he continues to have respect for Balasaheb Thackeray,

Uddhav Thackeray

and Aaditya Thackeray, and assured that neither he nor his supporters would resort to personal attacks.The announcement came despite last-minute efforts by the UBT camp to retain him, with MLAs Varun Sardesai and Kailas Patil reaching out to him in Pune late on Saturday.Rajenimbalkar’s exit is politically crucial, as it strengthens the group of rebel MPs whose numbers are key to crossing the two-thirds threshold required to avoid disqualification under anti-defection laws.