Explained: In Shiv Sena vs Shiv Sena tussle, how Uddhav Thackeray is keeping up the fight

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde may have won the battle, but the war is far from over.

Shinde, a one-time loyalist of the Thackeray family, was successful in leading a camp of rebel MLAs and then winning the floor test with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

However, it’s not all over yet; Uddhav Thackeray refuses to give in and has taken on the fight for control of the Shiv Sena and the legacy of the party founded by his father, Bal Thackeray.

On Tuesday, Uddhav Thackeray said that he was “hurt” to see some members ditching the party. “I shall fight and reinvigorate Sena,” he said.

What’s happening now and how does Uddhav intend to fight the Shinde faction, who now enjoys support of 40 MLAs?

Knocking on SC’s door

On Friday, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction approached the Supreme Court against Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s decision to invite Eknath Shinde to form government in the state.

Shiv Sena general secretary Subhash Desai in his petition in the apex court also challenged the assembly proceedings which saw the new Maharashtra chief minister breeze through a test of majority.

Desai’s petition asserted that the action of the Maharashtra governor in calling Eknath Shinde to take over as the chief minister was ‘arbitrary and unconstitutional’.

A LiveLaw report said that the petition moved before a vacation Bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and JK Maheshwari said: “Under which capacity the governor recognised the strength of 39 rebel MLAs headed by Respondent No.4 for the purposes of inviting Respondent No. 4 to be the chief minister?”

The petition argues that the Constitution prohibits recognition of rebel MLAs of a political party under the Tenth Schedule. It emphasised that the rebel MLAs have not merged in any other political party or formed a new political party, reported LiveLaw.

Shortly after the petition was filed in the apex court, Sena leader Sanjay Raut said “when there is nothing left to lose, there is everything to gain”.

जब "खोने"के लिए कुछ भी ना बचा हो तो "पाने" के लिए बहुत कुछ होता हैं!.
जय महाराष्ट्र !. pic.twitter.com/BeQNDziC3w

— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) July 8, 2022

The court has agreed to hear the matter on 11 July along with the previous plea seeking suspension and the disqualification of the rebel MLAs.

Change of Chief Whip

On Wednesday, Uddhav Thackeray nominated Rajan Vichare as the party’s Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha, replacing MP Bhavana Gawali, a five-term MP from Yavatmal-Washim.

The move came as at least 12 of the 18 Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MPs want to vote for the National Democratic Alliance's presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu.

Gawali’s removal also comes after she wrote a letter to Uddhav Thackeray during the Eknath Shinde rebellion that the party should not take any harsh action against the Shinde group and that their “demands should be considered in the interest of Hindutva”.

The appointment of a new Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha is significant; political pundits note it’s a step being taken by Uddhav, fearing a rebellion among his MPs.

Gulabrao Patil, one of the Shiv Sena MLAs belonging to the Eknath Shinde camp, said that the party has 12 Lok Sabha MPs who want to cross over to their camp. Patil said that there were around 22 former MLAs of the Shiv Sena who also want to join the Shinde camp.

Fight for the symbol

On Friday, Uddhav also dug in his heels and showed that he wasn’t going anywhere in his first public address after the takeover by Eknath Shinde. In his address, Uddhav said, “No one can take Shiv Sena symbol from us. Everybody is asking who does Shiv Sena belong to, questions Thackeray.

“Shiv Sena is not a thing, that somebody can own,” he added.

The fight within the Sena — of Uddhav vs Eknath — has turned to the famous bow and arrow symbol.

Uddhav’s faction has written to the Election Commission (EC) affirming Uddhav Thackeray as party president. The national executive has also passed a resolution restricting any group or individual from using the name of Balasaheb Thackeray to pre-empt any such move by the Eknath Shinde faction.

The EC hasn’t taken a call on the matter, but the fight for the symbol will gain even more prominence in the days to come as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls are just around the corner.

With inputs from agencies

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