Can forgive mistakes but will not spare sinners, says Uddhav

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray has readmitted former Shirdi MP Bhausaheb Wakchaure into the party, saying they can forgive mistakes but not sinners. Thackeray also indicated that former union minister Anant Geete would be the party's MP face in Raigad.

Shiv Sena (UBT) could forgive those had committed mistakes but would never spare sinners, said its president Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday while readmitting former Shirdi MP Bhausaheb Wakchaure into the party.

Mumbai, India - Aug. 18, 2023: Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar shares light moment with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at Matoshree, Bandra, in Mumbai, India, on Friday, August 18, 2023. (Photo by HT Photo/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

“Bhausaheb said he had accepted his mistake and apologised for it. He left the party but never tried to damage it. We in Shiv Sena can forgive mistakes but cannot forgive the sinners who are trying to finish the party. Party workers will teach them a lesson in the coming elections,” Thackeray said in an apparent reference to chief minister Eknath Shinde and his supporter MPs and MLAs.

On his part, Wakchaure said, “We will again strengthen the party in Shirdi, Maharashtra, and across the country.”

Wakchaure was Shiv Sena MP from Shirdi from 2009 to 2014. Then he switched to Congress and contested the Lok Sabha seat but lost to Sena’s Sadashiv Lokhande. Within the next six months, he defected to BJP and contested Shrirampur assembly constituency in Ahmednagar district and lost to Congress’s Bhausaheb Kamble. With Lokhande joining Shinde camp, Thackeray faction is likely to field Wakchaure from Shirdi in the Lok Sabha election.

Thackeray further said he would soon visit Shirdi to take blessings of Sai Baba and would also address a public rally there. “In the coming elections, there will be a change of power in Maharashtra and at the Centre.”

Meanwhile, Thackeray has expedited preparations for the Lok Sabha election and will chair a meeting of all tehsil chiefs of the party in Mumbai on September 2. His party had won 18 seats in 2019 but 13 of them switched their loyalty to Shinde.

Thackeray has been looking for candidates in those constituencies and has been chairing marathon review meetings since August 16. So far, he has taken stock of the situation in north Maharashtra and part of western Maharashtra. This week, he will hold meetings for constituencies in Vidarbha region.

Meanwhile, Thackeray indicated that former union minister Anant Geete would be the party’s MP face in Raigad. Geete lost the 2019 election to NCP’s Sunil Tatkare following which he was sidelined. Sena (UBT) is likely to get Raigad constituency in a seat-sharing arrangement with MVA partners – NCP and Congress. Geete belongs to Kunbi community which has a strong presence in Konkan region, especially in Raigad and Ratnagiri districts.