At Khed’s sprawling Golibar ground on Sunday, where Uddhav Thackeray was holding his first rally after the Election Commission held that the Eknath Shinde faction was the “real” Shiv Sena, the giant papier mache bow and arrow was missing. The EC had allotted the symbol, the most recognisable asset of the Bal Thackeray-founded Shiv Sena that has graced every Sena rally since 1989, to the Shinde group. Thackeray made up for its absence by launching a scathing attack on the BJP: He termed the party “most corrupt” and “opportunist”. During his 45-minute speech he claimed that the BJP had no icons to bank on and accused the party of “stealing” Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel from Gujarat, Subhas Chandra Bose from West Bengal, and his father, Bal Thackeray.
Thackeray’s decision to intensify his battle with the BJP comes in the backdrop of the electoral gains that the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi has made in Maharashtra over the last few days. Almost a month after suffering a loss of face over its failure to win the Nagpur teachers’ constituency in the Maharashtra Legislative Council polls, the BJP lost the Kasba Peth assembly seat in Pune district in a bypoll last week. Kasba Peth has been a BJP bastion for several years. Thackeray’s gamble of taking the BJP head on, however, comes with a huge element of risk. The triumvirate of the Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP have so far put up a united front despite the pulls and pressures in the alliance. Yet, the tension among allies is palpable, especially after Thackeray unilaterally decided to fight the BMC polls in alliance with Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi.
