India, June 25 -- Former Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader and former MLA Mahadev Babar joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Tuesday, marking a significant political shift ahead of upcoming elections. Babar, a prominent political figure in the Hadapsar-Kondhwa area, began his career with Shiv Sena and has previously served as the deputy mayor of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

Despite Kondhwa being a Muslim-majority area, Babar had consistently secured victories in the constituency during his time with Shiv Sena, earning a reputation as a grassroots leader.

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar welcomed Babar into the party and encouraged him and other new entrants to work toward strengthening the organisation at ...