THANE, Oct. 3 -- The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) suffered another jolt in Thane on Thursday after district president Suhas Desai and secretary Santosh Nagle joined the Ajit Pawar faction. The duo was inducted by Ajit Pawar at the NCP office in Thane during his stopover en route to Murbad. The latest defections come barely a day after Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar held a one-hour closed-door meeting at the YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai, fuelling speculation over their political equations. Desai's shift was abrupt-on Wednesday night, he attended a maha aarti at Tulja Bhavani temple with senior NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad, of whom he was considered a close supporter. By Thursday morning, he was welcomed as the new Thane president of the ruling NCP. Desai said he switched sides "to serve residents better in the upcoming corporation elections." Ajit Pawar, addressing the media, stressed that politics must rise above caste, religion or personal ties. "When we invoke Shivaji Maharaj, Shahu Maharaj, Phule and Ambedkar, our actions must reflect their principles," he said. Anand Paranjape, once an NCP (SP) member who had also defected, said, "We are happy to induct Suhas Desai. The Sharad Pawar group is shrinking by the day and will soon be confined to Kalwa and Mumbra." Earlier this week, Thane witnessed another exodus when NCP (SP) city president Prafull Kamble, along with several associates, crossed over to the Shiv Sena in the presence of deputy CM Eknath Shinde....