MUMBAI: Important political leaders from Konkan region's Sawantwadi and the state's south-western region Solapur Join Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections that are scheduled on November 23. 

Rajan Teli, a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from Sindhudurg district, and Deepak Salunkhe, an Ajit Pawar group's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader from Solapur, officially joined Shiv Sena (UBT) in the presence of Uddhav Thackeray on Friday.

Teli, who was previously considered a close aid to Lok Sabha, a member of parliament and former Union Minister Narayan Rane, is expected to contest against state education minister Deepak Kesarkar in Sawantwadi. Teli has expressed his dissatisfaction with the way the party was functioning and further claimed that he faced difficulties after Rane had joined the party along with his sons. The Konkan belt of Mahararastha has a major weightage in the state's representation as it accounts for 75 of the 288 assembly seats, and also includes 36 in Mumbai city.

Salunkhe a former member of the legislative council, was among the many who had rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray and joined the Shinde camp in 2022. While welcoming him back to his fold, Thackeray said that Salunkhe will fight from the Sangola assembly constituency which is currently held by Shiv Sena's current MLA Shahaji Patil.

This move is seen as a major setback for the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parties in Maharashtra, the Mahayuti which consists of the BJP, the Shiv Sena (led by Eknath Shinde), and Ajit Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as it sets the stage for potential direct contests in these constituencies while adding to the political drama as the state gears up for the elections.