SC, ECI orders will persuade Sena fence-sitters to choose Shinde over Uddhav, feels BJP

The capacity of CM Shinde as Chief Minister of Maharashtra to extend State patronage is also considerable and may help swing matters

The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) order recognising the claim of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena to the name and symbol of the party and the Supreme Court’s decision not to refer the pleas related to the 2022 crisis in Maharashtra politics to a seven-judge bench, has raised hopes in the BJP that fence-sitters in the Shiv Sena faction war will be thrown in their lot with the NDA.

According to senior sources in the BJP both these decisions, which were declared on Friday, have given a boost to the prospects of the NDA in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls and more than that, the organisational capture of the Shiv Sena from Uddhav Thackeray.

Also Read | Uddhav to meet party leaders after EC recognises Shinde faction as real Shiv Sena

“There are sections of the Shiv Sena which undoubtedly have loyalty towards the Thackeray family, quite apart from any ideological or organisational matter. But the organisation itself, the way it is divided is dependent on many other factors,” said a source in the BJP.

According to this source, the Shiv Sena’s organisational pyramid has a Vibhag Pramukh (or a district chief) at the top, a Shakha Pramukh in the middle and a Ghatt Pramukh, largely termed as a “ paanch gali ka neta” (leader of five streets) at the most basic level.

“The most operational level, in terms of elections and voter mobilisation, is the Shakha Pramukh, which receives money and other resources from the party for its programmes and outreach to sections of society, helping out people at a personal level et al. Here, there are fence-sitters, and we hope that the EC and the SC’s decisions will help sway them,” he said.

The capacity of Mr. Shinde as Chief Minister of Maharashtra to extend State patronage is also considerable and may help swing matters.