Former corporators from the Belapur assembly constituency, who had joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) along with former MLA Sandeep Naik during the Maharashtra Assembly elections, officially returned to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday. Their re-entry took place in the presence of Maharashtra BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Forest Minister Ganesh Naik.

During the last Vidhan Sabha elections, the BJP fielded Ganesh Naik from Airoli and Manda Mhatre from Belapur, overlooking Sandeep Naik, who was the then BJP’s district president and a contender for the Belapur seat.

Discontented with the party’s decision, Sandeep Naik resigned from the BJP and joined the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) in the presence of state president Jayant Patil at Vishnudas Bhave Auditorium, Vashi, accompanied by several former BJP corporators from Belapur.

However, Sandeep Naik lost the election by just 377 votes, while Ganesh Naik secured a landslide victory in Airoli with a margin of 91,000 votes and subsequently became a minister. This shifted the political power centre in Navi Mumbai back to Ganesh Naik.

Now, with the upcoming municipal elections in focus, these former corporators have returned to the BJP, marking their re-entry at the party office in Dadar on February 18. The event was attended by BJP Maharashtra Executive President Ravindra Chavan, General Secretary Vikrant Patil, former MP Dr. Sanjeev Naik, Navi Mumbai District President Ramchandra Gharat, and other dignitaries.