Dec 04, 2024 04:37 AM IST
Thackeray also urged party members to blunt the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s narrative that Shiv Sena (UBT) has drifted away from its pro-Hindutva ideology.
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena (UBT) will take a call on whether to go solo in future elections if and when required, party chief Uddhav Thackeray said during a meeting on Tuesday, according to people aware of the developments. Looking to put its dismal showing in the Maharashtra assembly elections behind it ahead of crucial local body polls in the next few months, Thackeray also urged party members to blunt the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s narrative that Shiv Sena (UBT) has drifted away from its pro-Hindutva ideology after joining hands with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar).
The former Maharashtra chief minister addressed a meeting of former and aspiring corporators at his residence, Matoshree, on Tuesday, as the Shiv Sena (UBT) began preparing for local body elections that will be held early next year, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
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The BMC polls, expected to be held in February-March after being delayed for nearly three years, are crucial for the Shiv Sena (UBT). While the undivided Shiv Sena has controlled India’s richest civic body for 25 years, the Shinde-led Sena has already convinced 47 former corporators from the Maha Vikas Aghadi parties to join them. The ruling Mahayuti alliance is expected to try and poach more Shiv Sena (UBT) corporators ahead of the polls.
However, if there’s a silver lining in the Shiv Sena UBT’s poor showing in the assembly polls, the party won 10 of the 36 seats in Mumbai. That’s half the total seats the Shiv Sena (UBT) won overall.
At the meeting, which was attended by more than 50 former corporators, Thackeray urged unity, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would use Shinde until the BMC polls and then dump him. He also asked the former corporators whether they wanted to stay with him or walk out, according to people who were present at the meeting. Some of the former corporators said they wanted the party’s newly elected MLAs and MPs to spend their funds in their respective constituencies so that the Shiv Sena (UBT) could be seen doing some developmental work, added the people cited above.
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Thackeray also made clear his intention to analyse the party’s performance in the assembly polls. He said the party would appoint observers who would travel to each constituency where the Shiv Sena (UBT) lost in the assembly polls to analyse what went wrong. He also urged party members to reassure voters that the Shiv Sena (UBT) is still pro-Hindutva despite what the Mahayuti alliance claims.
While the Congress has launched a campaign against electronic voting machines after its defeats in Haryana and Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena UBT’s legislative party leader, Aaditya Thackeray, told his party members that EVMs alone can’t be blamed and they should also reflect on the mistakes they committed. He also stressed the need to do well in the civic polls. The Shiv Sena (UBT) will hold conclaves for its leaders and workers soon to plan a strategy for the civic polls.
Reacting to the Shiv Sena (UBT) meeting, Sheetal Mhatre, spokesperson for the Shinde faction of the Sena, said, “There is still time for the BMC polls. We still have to form the government. Let them start preparing. A lot of people from Shiv Sena UBT have joined us.”
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