MUMBAI, July 1 -- Days after the defection of six of its MPs to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) received yet another jolt on Tuesday when its MLC Sachin Ahir joined the ranks of the defectors. Ahir, a prominent trade union leader and former MLA from Worli, was a close aide of Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray. Shinde has fielded Ahir for the legislative council's deputy chairperson poll scheduled for Wednesday. Ahir's defection has come as a huge shock for the Thackeray faction. He was the de facto manager of Aaditya's poll machinery in 2019 and 2024. The 2024 election was particularly tough for Aaditya with the Sena fielding Milind Deora and Raj Thackeray also putting up a candidate. But he won, and Ahir's contribution to his victory was significant. The poaching of Ahir happened when Uddhav and Aaditya were busy with damage-control operations in the constituencies of the six defector MPs. The news became public when Ahir, along with CM Devendra Fadnavis, Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, went to the legislature secretary's office to file his nomination as a sitting Shiv Sena legislator and Mahayuti candidate even before he formally joined the party that evening. When questioned about this sleight of hand and whether the provisions of the anti-defection law would apply to Ahir, Shinde said, "Whatever job I do is foolproof. Ahir was elected as an MLC from the Shiv Sena, which is now with me." The deputy CM was non-committal when asked if Ahir would be fielded against Aaditya in the assembly polls. On Tuesday morning, Ahir called Aaditya and informed him about his decision to quit the party. He also sent letters resigning from the party and trade union posts to Uddhav Thackeray, saying he was resigning "due to unavoidable reasons". According to BJP insiders, Ahir was in talks with their party before he spoke with Sena leaders. However, since his old constituency, Worli, is with the Sena in the alliance, he chose to join that party. A furious Aaditya did not mince words while speaking to media persons. "Those who were close to us, who were given everything by the party, have defected for their selfish interests," he said....