Maharashtra polls: Uddhav or Shinde, whose Sena will Thane choose?

Since the Sena split into two factions in 2022, the one headed by the son of the Shiv Sena founder, Uddhav Thackeray, is facing a massive challenge

MUMBAI: In 1967, a fledgling Shiv Sena began to capture the imagination of the people by championing the cause of the Marathi manoos. Led by its charismatic, firebrand founder Bal Thackeray, the party experienced its political baptism that year, with a decisive victory in the erstwhile Thane Municipal Council. Its nominee, Vasantrao Marathe, was elected Nagradhyaksh, the equivalent of mayor in a small city.

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde (PTI Photo) and former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray (HT File Photo)

Thane, which borders Mumbai, was then largely a city of middle-class Maharashtrians and working-class people, mostly employed in factories in the Thane-Belapur belt. Since then, the Sena has enjoyed a strong presence in Thane even as it kept winning and losing elections. Through it all, the Thackeray family’s bond with the city was unshakeable.

Now, since the Sena split into two factions in 2022, the one headed by the son of the Shiv Sena founder, Uddhav Thackeray, is facing a massive challenge in its attempt to recover lost ground. Bal Thackeray used to often point out how he had an emotional bond with Thane city. Will the city stand behind his beleagured son, when the latter faces a test of his political survival?

Post-liberalisation, when Mumbai began to suddenly expand and grow, it triggered a transformation in neighbouring Thane. Factories replaced residential colonies. Erstwhile industrial clusters made way for software companies and call centers. Those who were in the service sector in Mumbai found relatively cheaper homes in Thane. During this transformation, the Sena under Anand Dighe was quick to reinvent itself. Dighe, a leader with charisma and excellent organisational skills, took control of the district, relegating the Congress to small pockets. A few years after Dighe’s accidental death in 2001, Eknath Shinde took charge of the organisation in Thane city.

Observers point out that Shinde completely dominated the party organisation in the undivided Shiv Sena in Thane district. From appointing shakha pramukhs to fielding candidates in civic elections, Shinde took a call on everything. That’s why, when he split the party in 2022, a majority of party functionaries switched loyalties to him. Most of the 80-odd shakha pramukhs and 62 of the 65 former corporators stuck with Shinde, virtually emptying organisational posts in Thane.

“For the Sena (UBT), there is a void in Thane as the party did not put in place leadership that could take on Shinde. Former MP Rajan Vichare is something of a counterbalance to Shinde but he has limitations,” said Milind Ballal, senior journalist and editor of Thane Vaibhav, a Marathi daily. “It was very surprising that the Sena (UBT) did not have a proper strategy for three of Thane’s constituencies,” he added.

This was reflected in the recent Lok Sabha elections as the Sena (UBT) candidate was trailing in all three assembly segments in Thane city. “In the Sena’s scheme of things, the party’s local network plays a pivotal role as it has direct contact with the people and can therefore influence them. If you lack a good network at the ground level, it is difficult to win elections,” Ballal said.

However, in the last two to three decades, Thane city has undergone a second urban renewal. Newly developed areas such as Ghodbunder Road and Pokharan Road have a significant number of non-Marahti-speaking people living there. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) too has made significant inroads. This was reflected in the 2014 assembly election, when the Sena and BJP contested separately. Sanjay Kelkar of the BJP won the seat by defeating Sena candidate Ravindra Phatak.

The Thane City constituency was held by Moreshwar Joshi of the Sena from 1990 to 1999. After he died in 2003, the Sena fielded Eknath Shinde in 2004. He won. Post-delimitation, Shinde shifted to Kopri-Panchpakhadi, which he has been winning ever since.

Rajan Vichare of the then undivided Sena was elected from Thane City in 2009. In 2014, when the Sena and BJP contested separately, the BJP managed to win. In 2019, Kelkar was elected as the saffron alliance candidate. Now he faces Vichare of the Sena (UBT). This is likely to be a triangular contest, with Avinash Jadhav of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) as the third prominent candidate in the fray.

From Owala-Majiwada, Pratap Sarnaik has been elected since 2009. He is seeking a fourth term now.