Raj Thackeray's Fear Realized: MNS Secretary Sudhakar Tamboli Joins Shinde Shiv Sena

• MNS Maharashtra Secretary Sudhakar Tamboli, a long-time associate of Raj Thackeray, defected to Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena.
• Tamboli officially joined Shiv Sena in Mumbai in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
• His defection came within 12 hours of Raj Thackeray expressing fears of loyalists leaving, and soon after the Raj Thackeray-Uddhav Thackeray alliance announcement.
• Tamboli was a key MNS leader, with Raj Thackeray since Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena, a two-term Senate member, and active in education.
• This is considered a major blow to MNS's organizational structure, especially in Mumbai, raising questions about internal discord.

Why It Matters: MNS suffers a significant blow as key leader Sudhakar Tamboli defects to Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena.