MUMBAI, July 2 -- One day after he switched loyalties to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, former Sena (UBT) MLC Sachin Ahir was unanimously elected deputy chairman of the state legislative council after the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) nominee J M Abhyankar withdrew his nomination. Parliamentary affairs minister Chandrakant Patil on Tuesday had requested the MVA to abide by a state tradition in which such elections were unanimous. Finally, Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab said that Abhyankar would withdraw. Ahir, a member of the legislative council from Sena (UBT), crossed over to the Shinde Sena, although officially he maintained that he had not left any party, having been elected when he was in the undivided Shiv Sena. The prominent trade union leader and former MLA from Worli was a close aide of Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray. Following the announcement of Ahir's election, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that all questions on the anti-defection law being applied had been answered when Neelam Gorhe crossed over in 2023, the year that Eknath Shinde split the Shiv Sena. Like Ahir, Gorhe was once considered a member of Uddhav Thackeray's inner circle. Deputy CM Shinde said, "Our team has now gained another all-rounder. No matter who the bowler is or how fast the delivery is, Sachin Ahir never stops without hitting a six." The post of the deputy chairperson had fallen vacant when the tenure of the last incumbent, Neelam Gorhe, ended in May. She was seeking another tenure as deputy chairperson-a post that is equivalent to a cabinet minister. However, Shinde used the opportunity to lure yet another leader from the Thackeray faction....