Shiv Sena spokesperson crosses over to Eknath Shinde camp

In a fresh setback to Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, party spokesperson and former Mumbai corporator Sheetal Mhatre crossed over to the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde faction on Tuesday.

Mhatre is the first former corporator of Shiv Sena from Mumbai who has openly announced support for Shinde.

She had represented ward no 7 in suburban Dahisar in north Mumbai in 2012 and 2017.

On Tuesday night, Mhatre along with some Shiv Sena workers visited Shinde's residence and expressed her support to him.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena had appointed Mhatre as the sampark sanghatak (coordinator) for the Alibaug-Pen area.

The crucial elections for the Sena-controlled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) are slated to be held in the next few months.

Shinde's rebellion last month led to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

He was sworn in as the chief minister on June 30 with Bharatiya Janata Party's Devendra Fadnavis as the deputy CM.