A Congress rebel, who contested as an independent candidate in the recently concluded Maharashtra state assembly elections against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has officially joined the Shiv Sena. Manoj Shinde, who was expelled by the Congress party after he refused to withdraw his candidacy for the Kopri-Pachpakhadi seat in Thane, took the decision to join Shiv Sena on Sunday.

In an exclusive interview with PTI, Shinde, who has been a long-time Congress member, expressed his disappointment with the party leadership, particularly their lack of focus on the Thane and Konkan regions. He voiced that Congress had never prioritised these areas, which he believes led to the decline of the party's fortunes and the neglect of its activists.