Signs of unrest emerged among Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena loyalists on Wednesday after party MP Sanjay Raut said “some” had gotten too much in the party. His remarks came days after six MPs walked out of the UBT Sena and joined the rival Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
“We need to identify a person’s character. Some get so much that it hurts party loyalists,” Raut said and called for introspection within the party. His remarks echoed the sentiments expressed by UBT Sena’s Sunil Shinde on Tuesday, after former MLA Sachin Ahir joined the Shinde-led Sena.
Uddhav Sena’s Invitation to Introspection
Sunil Shinde also called for introspection within the party, though he was optimistic about the UBT Sena’s chances in Worli constituency despite Ahir’s exit. “Party elders should reflect,” Shinde said, while also recalling how he defeated Sachin Ahir in Worli in 2014, and Aaditya Thackeray won the seat in 2019.
A day after Sunil Shinde’s remarks, Sanjay Raut has now made a similar call for reflection, citing the possibility of unrest among UBT Sena loyalists over special treatment of some people in the party.
“We need to reflect on the political future,” Raut said on Wednesday. He also said that some people in the party got everything and all those beneficiaries left.
Raut also criticized Eknath Shinde, saying that his political career was built on the shoulders of Uddhav Sena, and now he and his son Shrikanth Shinde are “teaching” things. “If Uddhav Thackeray had not given everything in office, where would Eknath Shinde’s power be? He has become what he is today because he received all those things in the party from the leadership,” Raut said.
Eknath Shinde led the Shiv Sena rebellion of 2022 which ended with the party split into two factions.
Inside the Uddhav Sena crisis
A major crisis has emerged in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena over the past few weeks, with six MPs defecting to the Eknath Shinde-led camp. The six MPs, including Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchor, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtekar, Umraji Nimbalkar and Sanjay Patel, joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on June 22, strengthening the NDA’s tally in Parliament.
To make matters worse, former MLA Sachin Ahir on Tuesday joined Shinde’s camp. He was considered a close confidant of Aaditya Thackeray.
Ahir began his political career with the Congress Party, before moving to the National Congress Party. He later joined the undivided Shiv Sena after Aaditya Thackeray entered electoral politics from Worli, and is now part of the Shinde Sena.
