Whereabouts of Uddhav’s ‘missing’ right-hand man sets tongues wagging

Where is Milind Narvekar? The close aide of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray is missing in action, at least in public, even as the party is falling apart

Where is Milind Narvekar? The close aide of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray is missing in action, at least in public, even as the party is falling apart. Speculation is rife that Narvekar may join the Eknath Shinde camp. Interestingly, Narvekar, who was earlier at odds with the current chief minister, has patched up with him over the past few months.

Ashish Shelar and Milind Narvekar during the Mumbai Cricket election at Wankhade Stadium, Churchgate in Mumbai, India, on Friday, October 4, 2019. (Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times)

In the early 1990s, Narvekar, who was a ‘gatapramukh’, or a lower-level Sena functionary at Liberty Gardens in Malad, is said to have met Thackeray, who by then had become active in politics, seeking an appointment as a shakha pramukh. He was, however, chosen by Thackeray as his personal assistant.

Unlike his father, late Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, Uddhav is an introvert who does not like deepening his interaction with those beyond his immediate circle. This led Narvekar to gain unprecedented clout in the party as his gatekeeper. He was blamed by leaders like Bhaskar Jadhav (in 2004), Narayan Rane (in 2005), Pradeep Jaiswal (2009), and Mohan Rawle (in 2014) for their rebellions.

However, Narvekar is said to have been gradually bypassed at Matoshree, which is the Thackeray family residence, by creating alternative power centres and gatekeepers. He was said to be in the race for a Rajya Sabha or state legislative council nomination but had to settle for the party secretary’s post instead in January 2018. Incidentally, at the same time, Aaditya Thackeray’s close aide Suraj Chavan was also appointed as the secretary.

During the tenure of the Devendra Fadnavis-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Sena regime in 2014-19, Narvekar had emerged as a ‘sankatmochak’ or troubleshooter in the alliance during any time of stress.

When the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) came to power, Narvekar’s sideline was evident. With Uddhav preferring a hands-off approach, a retired bureaucrat was said to be calling the shots in the chief minister’s office for around a year. It was during this period that Narvekar is said to have patched up with Shinde.

Senior leaders of the BJP and Sena and insiders in the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis regime claimed that Narvekar was unhappy at being sidelined. They, however, said that there was little chance of Narvekar being accommodated in the government as being speculated. “He has good relations with Shinde, but may not jump ship from Sena,” a BJP leader said, adding that Shinde had often visited Narvekar’s house at Bandra in the past.

Narvekar was not seen in public even as Sena leaders like Rajya Sabha MP Anil Desai, Lok Sabha MP Arvind Sawant, Anil Parab and others were firefighting following the Shinde-led rebellion in the party, but a senior leader, who did not wish to be named, said he was playing a backroom role.

The leader added that Narvekar was at Matoshree and also at the hotel where the party’s legislators had been lodged to prevent them from being poached. Narvekar is also said to have been present at the Thackeray family residence on Saturday. “He may not have had a public profile during the crisis, but he was active in the backroom,” the leader quoted above said.

Narvekar could not be contacted for his comments despite calls and a text message.

When Shinde took his men to Surat, Uddhav dispatched Narvekar and former legislator Ravindra Phatak as his emissaries on June 21. Later, Phatak joined Shinde at Guwahati.

Incidentally, Narvekar has not been blamed by Shinde and his rebels for their decision. Instead, their ire seems to be directed at Sena’s stormy petrel Sanjay Raut for the party’s cosy relations with the Nationalist Congress Party and the growing rift with the BJP. Some of the rebel legislators like Sada Sarvankar and Suhas Kande are seen as Narvekar’s men.

A Sena source said after a split in the legislative party, the next target of the Shinde group would be the party organisation. Walking away with a substantial number of Sena functionaries and members of the around 282-strong national executive will help the rebels claim that they are the ‘real’ Sena. Anticipating this, Thackeray’s aides have started fortifying their hold over the organisation. Narvekar would be one of the key people in this tussle between the two factions.