Jolt to NCP as Tatkare's nephew joins Shiv Sena

In a setback to the NCP in the run-up to municipal council polls, Sandeep Tatkare, the nephew of the party's Maharashtra unit chief and former state minister Sunil Tatkare, today joined the Shiv Sena along with his supporters.
Sandeep, who is the son of Sunil Tatkare's brother Anil, and who hails from Raigad district in coastal Konkan region, joined the Uddhav Thackeray-led party today at its headquarters Sena Bhavan in Dadar here.
Senior Shiv Sena leader and Union Minister Anant Geete, MLA Bharat Gogawale and Aadesh Bandekar were present when Sandeep formally joined the party.
Bandekar said Tatkare has joined the party as he believes in the working style of Sena president.

"Every party wants to grow and when people, who have a considerable mass base join a party with their supporters, it is bound to have a positive effect," Bandekar said.
"We have welcomed Sandeep into the party as he believes in Uddhav ji's leadership and style of functioning, and expressed his desire to work with him," he said.

Meanwhile, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said Sandeep quit the party due to some internal family dispute and that the party remains unaffected by his exit.
"Sandeep has left the party due to some internal family dispute. But if one person leaves the party on such grounds, the party does not get affected and nobody bothers about. Sunil ji (Tatkare) is a party stalwart and if someone (referring to Sandeep) thinks he is bigger than him, people will clear all his misconceptions in the upcoming polls," Malik told PTI.

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Sandeep is contesting election for the post of president of Roha municipal council in Raigad district as an independent candidate after his uncle Sunil Tatkare gave the party ticket to Santosh Potfode, father-in-law of his (Sunil Tatkare's) son.
"This was the reason Sandeep rebelled against Sunil Tatkare," said Mahesh Tapase, NCP spokesperson.
Raigad district is considered to be bastion of NCP and Sunil Tatkare.
Interestingly, this would be a third instance of a nephew rebelling against his uncle in Maharashtra's politics.
Raj Thackeray rebelled against his uncle and Shiv Sena supremo, the late Bal Thackeray, to form Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. Dhananjay Munde, now the leader of opposition in the Legislative Council, rebelled against his uncle, the late BJP stalwart Gopinath Munde, to join NCP.