Uddhav, Raj and now Eknath Shinde - who will win the battle for Balasaheb’s legacy?
India Today
As Sainiks fight, who will win the battle for Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb’s legacy? Here are the contenders.
Amid speculation over the actual number of Shiv Sena MLAs joining the Eknath Shinde camp, it’s evident that the Maharashtra government under Uddhav Thackeray is in danger. The 34 Shiv Sena MLAs, who were part of the breakaway faction, had passed a resolution appointing Eknath Shinde as the leader of the Shiv Sena Legislature party. With the rebellion of Eknath Shinde and his claim of being a true Shivsainik, the battle for the true legacy of Balasaheb Thackeray has started. Let’s see the contenders.
Amid the escalating political crisis in Maharashtra, rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has pledged to take forward Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s legacy with the support of 40 lawmakers. The Shinde faction needs the backing of 37 Sena lawmakers to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.
“Forty Shiv Sena lawmakers are present with me in Guwahati and all of us will take Balasaheb Thackeray’s Hindutva and legacy forward. I do not want to comment on others or other issues at present,” Shinde told journalists at the Guwahati airport.
Shinde has said that the MVA alliance was “unnatural”, and only the NCP and the Congress benefitted from the tie-up. According to him, the other constituents of the alliance got stronger and the Shiv Sainiks and Sena got weaker. “It is essential to get out of the ‘unnatural’ front for the survival of the party and Shiv Sainiks. Decisions need to be taken now in the interest of Maharashtra,” he said.
READ | Eknath Shinde, the man who changed the game in Maharashtra’s politics
Eknath Shinde has been the party’s face in politically vital Thane and Palghar districts. He has been a part of the Sena since the 1980s. On 31 October, 2019, the Shiv Sena unanimously elected Shinde as the leader of the party in the Maharashtra Assembly. His strengths include being a grassroots Shiv Sena worker who rose to become one of the most powerful leaders in the party. Eknath Shinde is known for his raw style of functioning which avoids publicity. He is an easily accessible leader.
Currently, most Shiv Sena MLAs are with Shinde and as per his claim the number is expected to rise. It will be also interesting to see which side party Lok Sabha MPs move.
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