Mumbai: When things seemed quiet for a while, the battle between the two factions of the Shiv Sena, founded by Bal Thackeray, is rising again, plunging Maharashtra’s politics into fresh turmoil. Recent developments have set in motion local political realignments, with several key leaders switching from one faction to the other, putting the future of power in the state within speculation.
Sources added that Rajan Salvi, a Thackeray faction leader in the Konkan region, is also reported to join the Shinde camp. This decision has re-ignited the controversy since Salvi, who was always seen as an important pillar for the Thackeray camp, is apparently due to shift sides on February 13. While no formal aspect has been taken up, this has acquired buzz amongst the political circles. The speculation in Maharashtra political circles has intensified after Salvi reached out to Shinde and finalised the date of his joining.
Besides Salvi, former legislators Subhash Bane and Ganpat Kadam are also slated to join the Shinde camp in the coming days. Rumours of an exodus of this scale were stoked by the meeting of the two former legislators with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at Thane on Saturday. Rohan Bane, former district council president from Ratnagiri district, will also be joining the Shinde camp on February 15, when Shinde visits Ratnagiri district, and the leaders are expected to join Shinde’s Shiv Sena on that day formally.
The presence of Bane and Kadam, both wielding influence in Sangameshwar, Chiplun, Lanja Taluka, and the Rajapur-Lanja Assembly areas, gives Shinde an added edge in the Konkan region. Such a realignment is being perceived as a big setback to the Thackeray faction, particularly in the coastal regions, which have historically been its strongholds.
Maharashtra Minister of Water Supply and Shiv Sena leader supporting Shinde Gulabrao Patil has called these events ‘Operation Tiger’. According to Patil, the Shinde faction is on the rise in the state , with more and more leaders from the Thackeray camp joining Shinde’s Shiv Sena. Responding to his comments, Patil said in a statement, “Thackeray loyalists will soon disappear from the Konkan, and more will follow in the coming days.
Shiv Sena leader Patel also pointed out the changing political landscape in Nanded, the bastion of former Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, where several party leaders have switched camps to be with Shinde. This transition has evidently demonstrated the faction with the genuine soul of Shiv Sena, which is with our faction. With this statement, he reiterated the point that they are the true heirs of Shiv Sainiks across the state.
The political chess match in Maharashtra has moved to the next stage. As more leaders defect and some join the fray, the contest for—or rather battle to retain—the legacy of the original Shiv Sena continues to play out in new avatars, leaving the state on the edge of its seat.
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