Patankar had won the 2012 civic election against Sena candidate Tukaram Kate. Kate later won the assembly election from Anushakti Nagar. Patankar was in the news last year for cross-voting in ward council elections in favour of the Sena candidate.
Alleging harassment from the Rane family, Anil Patankar, first-time Congress corporator from ward 147, Chembur-Ghatala village, resigned from the party. He is said to have decided to join the Shiv Sena.
Patankar, a Rane loyalist, had quit the Sena along with the veteran leader and joined the Congress. However, he has claimed, he has been harassed for the past eight-nine months and, now, he can't "bear the harassment" until the next civic elections in February 2017.
Patankar had won the 2012 civic election against Sena candidate Tukaram Kate. Kate later won the assembly election from Anushakti Nagar. Patankar was in the news last year for cross-voting in ward council elections in favour of the Sena candidate.
"I had joined the Congress with Narayan Rane as I was his staunch follower. But for the past one year, I am going through tremendous stress due to the behaviour of the Rane family, especially Nitesh. I don't want to discuss the subject further as it is personal. I have been cheated by them," he said after submitting his resignation to mayor Snehal Ambekar.
On joining the party again, Patankar said he is happy about his "ghar wapsi" and has asked for time from Uddhav Thackeray. "I presented my case to Sena leaders, the Sena MP and MLA of my area. I don't want these calipers (Congress corporatorship) anymore and I am ready to face by-election," he added.
Leader of the House and Sena leader in the BMC Trushna Vishwasrao welcomed Patankar's decision. "We cannot comment on what he had to go through because of the Ranes. Now that he has decided to return to the party, we will ensure that he wins the by-election," she said.
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