Maharashtra minister Uday Samant on Friday stated that former Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Anand Paranjpe was inducted into the Shiv Sena to prevent him from joining the Opposition. He added that the NCP, led by Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, was kept informed about the induction to avoid any misunderstandings within the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
Paranjpe resigned from the NCP on Thursday and joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena the same evening in Mumbai. Both the NCP and Shiv Sena are part of the Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra, along with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Shiv Sena clarified that they inducted Paranjpe after alerting his former party leaders, solely to ensure he did not join the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) opposition alliance.
“We tried reaching out to Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar, but they were unavailable. So we updated Jay before Paranjpe’s induction to avoid any misunderstanding within the alliance,” Samant said.
Interestingly, a prominent NCP leader and close associate of Paranjpe from Thane told the media that he was unaware of the development until Thursday evening. He and Paranjpe were scheduled to meet at their party office, but Paranjpe became unreachable.
Anand Paranjpe’s Political Journey
Anand Paranjpe, son of veteran Shiv Sena MP Prakash Paranjpe, won the Thane Lok Sabha bypoll in 2008 following his father’s death. He was elected from Kalyan in the 2009 general election as a Shiv Sena candidate but left the party in 2012 to join the NCP. He lost the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Kalyan to Shiv Sena’s Dr. Shrikant Shinde. Paranjpe later aligned with Ajit Pawar after the latter joined the Mahayuti government in 2023.
It is learned that Paranjpe was upset with not being politically rehabilitated within the NCP, which apparently led to his decision. Shiv Sena MP Dr. Shrikant Shinde, known for encouraging Paranjpe to return to the Shiv Sena fold, timely grasped this opportunity. However, Paranjpe dismissed these theories and said he quit his former party on good terms.
“I returned to the Shiv Sena after nearly 14 years, and it feels like a homecoming. I used to accompany my father as a youth to Anand Ashram to meet late Anand Dighe and have many fond memories of this place. I have not expressed any desire for a specific post or ticket. I only want to work for the growth of the organisation,” said the former MP after visiting the party headquarters in Thane on Friday.
Political Implications
Observers noted that with the induction of Paranjpe, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has managed to fortify his party in the Thane region, which has been facing challenges from local BJP leaders who are intent on downsizing the Shiv Sena in the district.
