- Monday, April 29, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
WHILE the rebel faction of the Shiv Sena joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form a new government in the western Indian state of Maharashtra on Thursday (30), the focus has now shifted to the future of the outfit.
Eknath Shinde, who led the group of rebels against the previous coalition MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi or Maharashtra Development Front) government led by Uddhav Thackeray, the chief of the party, has become the new chief minister of the state and now the question is: Which faction is the real Sena?
Both Shinde and Thackeray, son of the party’s founder Bal Thackeray, have called their respective factions as the real Sena and have asserted that they will carry forward the legacy of the late Thackeray, a firebrand leader who is still identified with Maharashtrian identity with many in the state.
The next round of fighting is now set for the Sena’s bow and arrow party symbol and the ball is now in the court of the Election Commission of India to determine who gets the symbol. The Sena was formed by Bal Thackeray, a former political cartoonist, in 1966, and emerged as a fierce Hindutva outfit over the decades. It was once a political ally of the BJP, thanks to their similar pro-Hindutva ideology, but the disagreement over power-sharing after the state polls in 2019 saw the two ending their alliance in the National Democratic Alliance.
The Hindu right-wing Sena subsequently joined hands with secular forces Nationalist Congress Party and the Indian National Congress to form the MVA government in Maharashtra.
Reports have suggested that the Shinde camp, which was reportedly unhappy with Thackeray’s style of working and secular allies, is preparing to claim the party’s election symbol.
But the Thackeray camp will not allow it to happen without a fight as the party has remained a family bastion since its birth.
The Sena also has a significant street presence and whoever eventually gets possession of the symbol, which is an emotive one, will have its task cut out in dealing with a lot of challenges, both inside and outside.
