In yet another setback for embattled Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray, 66 party corporators in the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) have joined the Eknath Shinde camp, sources said.
According to the sources, all 66 rebel corporators met new Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at his residence late on Wednesday night.
With the defection of 66 of the 67 Shiv Sena corporators, Uddhav Thackeray has effectively lost control over the TMC.
The Thane Municipal Corporation is the most important civic body after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
The three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra collapsed on June 29 after Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray resigned as the chief minister following a rebellion in his party launched by senior leader Eknath Shinde.