Ex-Sena MLA Harshwardhan Jadhav, Prakash Mahajan return to MNS

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Former Shiv Sena MLA Harshwardhan Jadhav and late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan's brother Prakash Mahajan on Saturday formally returned to the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

Jadhav and Mahajan joined the MNS at Thackeray's residence in Dadar here.

Jadhav, who became a legislator for the first time from Kannad assembly constituency in Aurangabad on the MNS's ticket in 2009, said he was happy to be back in the party.

He also said that the cause of Hindutva taken up by Raj Thackeray appealed to him.

"I will definitely work to expand the party's base (in Aurangabad). We will definitely win the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation," Jadhav said.

He also took potshots at former Shiv Sena MP from Aurangabad Chandrakant Khaire, saying that the latter will never be able to win the Lok Sabha seat in future.

Jadhav had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha poll from the Aurangabad seat as an independent. He had secured around three lakh votes, which were considered to have led to the defeat of four-time MP Khaire, who lost to AIMIM's Imtiaz Jaleel by a slender margin of 4,492 votes.

Mahajan said Raj Thackeray is the only leader who will ably take up the cause of Hindutva after late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray.

"Raj Thackeray will emerge as the iconic leader of Hindutva in the time to come and Hindutva needs him," Mahajan said, adding that his return to the MNS was just a "formality".