serving until March 2022. During his tenure, he spearheaded major infrastructure and sanitation projects and led the city’s response during the COVID‑19 pandemic .

Following the Shiv Sena split in June 2022, Mhaske was among the first Thane leaders to align with Eknath Shinde. He promptly resigned from the Thackeray-led faction and became a spokesperson for the Shinde faction of Shiv Sena.

In the June 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he secured a decisive victory from the Thane constituency, winning with approximately 734,231 votes and a margin of over 217,000 votes against incumbent Rajan Vichare. As a debut MP, he was inducted into several important parliamentary committees, including Housing & Urban Affairs, Railways, Urban Development, and the Waqf Amendment Bill Joint Committee.

In recognition of his active participation—particularly in debates, questions, and budget discussions—as well as his advocacy on issues like social media regulation, full insurance coverage of bank deposits, and enhanced passenger water transport, he was honored with the prestigious Sansad Ratna Award in May 2025.

Within Parliament, Mhaske has also taken a strong stand on railway development, calling for new stops and passenger services at key stations in the Konkan region and the Thane area. He has urged the central government to secure substantial funding for Maharashtra’s historical monuments and religious sites, emphasizing cultural preservation. Additionally, he has vocally criticized alleged inflated COVID‑19 procurement practices by the rival Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction) during his mayoral term.