Mumbai: Tejasvi Ghosalkar, former Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) Shiv Sena corporator from Dahisar and daughter-in-law of Shiv Sena MLA Vinod Ghosalkar, met party chief Uddhav Thackeray at his residence on Wednesday, a day after submitting her resignation from the party.
The meeting took place after Uddhav Thackeray personally reached out to her over the phone and invited her for a discussion. The development came amid widespread speculation that Ghosalkar was likely to switch allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
During her interaction with the media following the meeting, Tejasvi stated, “Uddhav ji listened to my grievances. I will take further decisions after I receive satisfactory answers. I want to make it clear that I have not joined any other party.”
Addressing rumors of her joining the BJP, she said, “I have not made any decision to join the BJP. I am still with UBT Shiv Sena. I haven’t committed any betrayal yet.”
Tejasvi also expressed her frustration with the party's local leadership, saying she had submitted letters highlighting unresolved issues in her constituency to the UBT Vibhag Pramukh and Vibhag Coordinator, but no action was taken. “That’s why I had to approach Uddhav Thackeray directly,” she said.
The meeting is being viewed as a crucial step in damage control by the UBT camp, with party leaders hoping to retain Ghosalkar and prevent further defections.
Ghosalkar, who headed the women's wing of Sena (UBT) in the Dahisar assembly constituency in north Mumbai, is the daughter-in-law of former MLA Vinod Ghosalkar. Her husband, Abhishek Ghosalkar, was shot dead in early 2024 during a Facebook Live allegedly by local resident Mauris Noronha. Abhishek was also a former corporator of the BMC.
The Ghosalkars have had a long association with the Thackerays. Uddhav Thackeray, his son and former minister Aaditya, his wife Rashmi Thackeray had attended Abhishek's funeral, signifying the close association with the family.
