Sena (UBT) survives disqualification, but Speaker’s verdict questions Uddhav’s position

The Speaker, while reading the verdict, said, “Paksha pramukh (party chief) is only a presiding member in the highest authority of the party, that is rashtriya karyakarini (national executive). The will of the paksha pramukh is synonymous to the will of the party which cannot be accepted.”

It further noted that the party president does not have the right to remove anyone from the position saying, “The removal of Eknath Shinde, leader of Shiv Sena by party president Uddhav Thackeray is not accepted.”

On June 19, 1966, when the Shiv Sena was founded by Bal Thackeray, he was addressed by one and all as party supremo. His was the final word in the party and its policies. Notwithstanding the existing organisational structure, it was the general perception amongst sainiks that the party’s organisation functions on the writ of the high command.

In 2002, the reins of the party changed hands from father to son, when Uddhav was appointed executive president of the party. In 2012, after Bal Thackeray death, it was understood the undisputed high command in the party was none other than Uddhav Thackeray. And true to the organisation’s inbuilt character his was the final word.

At 63, Thackeray finds his image dented over a leadership issue. It was the larger setback as the verdict pointed out he was not above the executive working committee structure in the party. The observations that Thackeray had no right to disqualify Eknath Shinde proved politically detrimental for the image of the leader who is not subject to anybody’s questioning.

In June 2022, when Eknath Shinde had raised the banner of revolt leading to a vertical split in the party, it was the biggest blow for the Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray. Out of 56 MLAs, 40 switched loyalties to become part of the Shinde-led Sena. Out of 19 MPs, almost 13 walked over to the Shinde faction.

The split in the Shiv Sena took place when Uddhav was chief minister of Maharashtra. He took charge of the high office on November 28, 2019. The Maha Vikas Aghadi – coalition of three parties – Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP.

Even as control of the MVA was in the hands of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction, Uddhav survived the administrative challenges with supportive allies the Congress and the NCP. But what he failed to tackle was a revolt within the Shiv Sena. At the end of two and a half years of MVA rule, the Thackeray government finally settled with a split in the Shiv Sena. It paved the way for the formation of a two-party coalition, BJP and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) in June 30, 2022. Shinde became the CM and Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CM. A year later, the NCP split. The faction lead by
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar joined the Shinde government in the state.

Unlike his father, who gave the Shiv Sena an identity of a militant organisation fighting for the rights of Marathi manoos and Hindutva, Uddhav Thackeray depicted a gentlemanly image. However, he retained the same identity and agenda in public.

After completing his schooling in Balmohan Vidyamandir and graduating from J J Institute of Applied Arts with photography as his main subject, he courted politics in early 1990a. But he remained in background allowing his then cousin Raj Thackeray to steal the limelight.

The turning point in his political career was his appointment as executive president at the Mahabaleshwar convention held in 2002.Taking forward the political legacy inherited from Bal Thackeray, Uddhav gradually emerged the unchallenged leader in the party guided by the group of leaders.

In 2014, he displayed his steel by striking a hard seat-sharing bargain with alliance partner BJP. The adamant stand led to bitterness and breaking an over two decade old saffron alliance. But post polls, Uddhav Thackeray patched up to form government which was headed by Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister. Five years later, Uddhav Thackeray took the unusual decision to shake hands with Congress and NCP. The BJP accused Uddhav Thackeray of betrayal. It pledged to avenge the betrayal which was by engineering the split in Shiv Sena through operation lotus.