Sawantwadi MLA Kesarkar resigns; to join Shiv Sena on August 5

Mumbai: Sawantwadi MLA Deepak Kesarkar, who had quit NCP last month after defying the party's leadership by refusing to campaign for Nilesh Rane, Congress candidate in Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg parliamentary seat, today resigned as member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

Kesarkar told PTI that he had resigned as MLA and will join the Shiv Sena in Sawantwadi on August 5 in presence of Party President Uddhav Thackeray.

On being asked whether he would fight the assembly elections on Sena ticket, Kesarkar said he would seek re-election if Shiv Sena nominates him.

Kesarkar resigned from NCP after he refused to heed Sharad Pawar's directive to campaign for Rane.

His diatribe against state minister and Congress strongman Narayan Rane had caused a huge embarrassment to top party leadership in the run-up to Lok Sabha polls.

The MLA had accused Narayan Rane and his sons Nilesh and Nitesh of unleashing political terror in the district.