Mumbai | In a setback to Uddhav Thackeray, former Maharashtra health minister Deepak Sawant on Wednesday joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Sawant joined the Sena in the presence of chief minister Shinde.

Sawant was an MLC of then united Shiv Sena and was cabinet minister for public health from 2014 to 2018 in the Devendra Fadanvis-led government.

He was dropped from the cabinet and denied ticket for legislative council election by Uddhav Thackeray in 2018.