Rohit Tilak Signals Exit From Congress, Likely to Join Shinde’s Shiv Sena

Overview

• The great-grandson of Lokmanya Tilak said he is set to leave the Congress and is likely to align with the Eknath Shinde–led Shiv Sena in the coming days.
• He said Congress leaders kept their distance after the Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust conferred the Lokmanya Tilak National Award on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2023.
• Tilak confirmed he was offered a Rajya Sabha seat by Shinde and went to Mumbai to file his nomination before the party opted out once the MVA fielded Sharad Pawar.
• He said he stopped doing party work over the last two years and has not yet submitted a formal resignation from the Congress.
• A switch would mark a notable turn for a Pune family long associated with Congress, as other Tilak relatives, including the late Mukta Tilak and her son Kunal, built careers in the BJP.