Santosh Dhuri, the Worli chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of Mumbai's civic polls. Dhuri cited dissatisfaction with seat-sharing negotiations between MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) as his reason for leaving, alleging the MNS has been sidelined. He claimed that key MNS leaders were denied tickets by Shiv Sena (UBT) in their strongholds. Dhuri, a former corporator, was reportedly invited to join the BJP by state minister Nitesh Rane.