Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Sachin Ahir Elected Deputy Chairman of Maharashtra Council as Mahayuti Candidate
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MLC Sachin Ahir was elected unopposed as the deputy Chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. He contested as a candidate of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, which includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) had initially fielded Jagannath Abhyankar of the Shiv Sena (UBT) for the post. However, on the appeal of Legislative Affairs Minister Chandrakant Patil, Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Anil Parab announced the withdrawal of Mr. Abhyankar's candidature, paving the way for Mr. Ahir's election.
Mr. Ahir had filed his nomination on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, as the candidate of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, marking a significant shift from his earlier affiliation with the Thackeray-led faction. The move came just a week after six rebel Lok Sabha MPs from the Shiv Sena (UBT) joined the Shinde-led outfit, which is a key constituent of the Mahayuti government.
A close aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, Mr. Ahir submitted his nomination in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) and the two deputy chief ministers, Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar. His defection is seen as a major setback for Aaditya Thackeray, the MLA from Worli in central Mumbai.
Mr. Ahir, a nephew of former underworld figure-turned-politician Arun Gawli, was a three-time MLA from the undivided NCP and served as a minister during the Congress-NCP government from 1999 to 2014. He also served as the Mumbai city chief of the undivided NCP. He lost the 2014 Assembly election to the undivided Shiv Sena candidate Sunil Shinde.
In 2019, before Aaditya Thackeray contested and won his first Assembly election, Mr. Ahir joined the undivided Shiv Sena. Subsequently, he became one of Mr. Thackeray's close aides and was entrusted with organisational responsibilities, including handling the party's trade union. In 2022, he was elected to the Legislative Council, with his term set to end in 2028.
The election of Mr. Ahir as deputy Chairman underscores the continuing realignments in Maharashtra politics, with several members of the Thackeray faction moving to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The Mahayuti government, formed after the split in the Shiv Sena in 2022, has been consolidating its position in the state legislature.
