{
  "id": 18113011,
  "title": "In Setback For Sena (UBT), Former MLA Santosh Tarfe Joins Eknath Shinde-Led Shiv Sena",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/04/in-setback-for-sena-ubt-former-mla-santosh-tarfe-joins-eknath-shinde",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-04T11:20:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/in-setback-for-sena-ubt-former-mla-santosh-tarfe-joins-eknath-shinde-led-shiv-sena"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a significant blow to the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), former Maharashtra Assembly MLA Dr Santosh Tarfe has defected to the Shiv Sena group led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Tarfe, who represented the Kalamnuri Assembly seat in Hingoli district from 2014 to 2019, was a member of the Congress at the time. He joined the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in August 2022. Tarfe's induction into the Shinde-led faction took place in the presence of Shinde and current Kalamnuri MLA Santosh Bangar. Tarfe had previously lost against Bangar in both the 2019 and 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.\n\nThe Shiv Sena (UBT) faced a meeting following the defection of several MLAs, with four notable absences fueling speculation of further defections. Gopu Patil, the Hingoli district chief of the Shiv Sena (UBT), and Ganaji Bele, the former Zilla Parishad president, also joined the Shinde Sena on Wednesday.\n\nDeputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde urged his new colleagues to focus on social development and strengthening the party's organizational structure. Shinde emphasized that the Shiv Sena, which upholds Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology, would continue to support them in their development work and social upliftment, ensuring they never face any shortage of support.",
  "summary": "In a major setback for the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), former MLA Dr Santosh Tarfe joined the Shiv Sena group led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday, along with several district-level leaders. Tarfe was the MLA from the Kalamnuri Assembly seat in the Hingoli district from 2014 to 2019, and was in the Congress at the time. He had joined the Thackeray-led…",
  "key_points": [
    "Former MLA Santosh Tarfe joins Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena",
    "Tarfe defected from Congress to Shinde faction in Aug 2022",
    "Shinde urges new colleagues to focus on social development"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}