In a setback for Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray in the run-up to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Tejasvi Ghosalkar, the wife of late party leader Abhishek Ghosalkar, who was shot dead last year, resigned from the party Monday.
Tejasvi submitted her resignation at 9 am and released a letter addressed to party members and supporters, describing her decision as one taken “from pain”.
In her letter, Tejasvi said she was facing immense difficulties balancing political work, public service, and her responsibilities towards her family. “While working in politics, serving the people and fulfilling my family responsibilities, I am having to face enormous challenges,” she wrote, adding that the decision was taken after deep introspection.
Recalling her political journey, Tejasvi said she came from a simple family and entered public life not out of ambition but to support her father-in-law Vinod Ghosalkar and her husband Abhishek Ghosalkar. She said working among people, sharing their joys and sorrows, and serving residents of the Dahisar–Borivali belt had given her a sense of fulfilment.
Abhishek Ghosalkar’s murder turning point, says Tejasvi
The letter also referred to the murder of her husband Abhishek in February last year, which she described as a turning point that changed her life completely. Abhishek, a former corporator from Dahisar, was shot dead in February last year during a live social media broadcast at a local leader’s office.
Tejasvi emphasised that her decision should not be seen as a lack of support from the Shiv Sena (UBT) leadership, but rather as a choice she felt compelled to make to address local issues effectively and secure her children’s future.
“Based on my experiences over the past few years, I feel I must take a different decision to solve people’s problems and ensure my children’s future,” she said.
Her move comes amid growing speculation about her political future over the past year. In June, Tejasvi was appointed as a director on the board of the Mumbai District Central Co-operative Bank, a key institution in the city’s cooperative banking sector, by its chairman and senior BJP leader Pravin Darekar. The nomination filled the vacancy left by her late husband, who was also a former corporator and board member.
At the time, Darekar had described the appointment as a goodwill gesture and said it was carried out in accordance with the bank’s rules. However, the development was widely seen as politically significant, particularly as it followed Tejasvi’s resignation as head of the Shiv Sena (UBT) women’s wing in the Dahisar Assembly segment in May, citing personal reasons and dissatisfaction with the functioning of the party’s local leadership.
While Tejasvi had not formally quit the Shiv Sena (UBT) at the time, her bank appointment, backed by a senior BJP leader, fuelled speculation of a possible shift in allegiance ahead of the crucial BMC elections, set to be held in January. Her father-in-law Vinod Ghosalkar alleged at the time that attempts were being made to draw her away from the party.
Curated by Dr. Elena Rodriguez
