Called gaddar, Shinde settles Sena vs Sena debate with gadar

The Maharashtra Assembly election results looks to have delivered a verdict on the Sena vs Sena debate. Only last month, a man obstructed Shiv Sena leader, Eknath Shinde’s convoy and called him a ‘gaddar’ (traitor). But Shinde has unleased a ‘gadar’ (mayhem) by leading in 56 out of the 81 seats it contested. The strike rate of 69% seems to have settled the debate about the real “Shiv Sena”. In contrast, the Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray was ahead in only 23 of the 95 seats it contested. Its strike rate was a poor 24%.
The clear Assembly lead settles, at least for now, the debate over who was the true inheritor of Bal Thackeray’s legacy. The Shiv Sena was founded by Bal Thackeray and Shinde rebelled against his son Uddhav.
This verdict comes after the Shinde faction’s good strike rate of 46% in the Lok Sabha election, where it won seven out of 15 seats it contested. In comparison, the Uddhav faction won just nine out of the 21 seats it fought for.
This is a result of Eknath Shinde’s clear positioning of himself as a grassroots leader supported by Shiv Sainiks.
Shinde’s populist schemes are one of the factors behind the good performance of the Mahayuti, which includes the BJP and Ajit Pawar’s NCP.
As the Chief Minister, Shinde announced and implemented a range of welfare schemes, including three free LPG refills per year, free pilgrimages for senior citizens, and free professional education for women from weaker sections.
His Ladki Bahin Yojana was a game-changer.
Some 25 million women from poor families received a monthly support of Rs 1,500 under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana. The guaranteed amount has since been hiked to Rs 2,100.
Shinde often contrasted his Shiv Sena’s approach to Uddhav Thackeray’s faction, the Shiv Sena (UBT), which had support from Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP, especially in Muslim-majority areas.
“They call it a symbol of revolution, but it sets homes ablaze and divides communities,” Shinde said of UBT and its flaming torch symbol at a rally.
Uddhav, to many, seems to be in the wrong camp and Shinde in the right, literally, given the origins of the Shiv Sena as a Hindutva outfit.
Shinde has proved all his detractors wrong. There were many who had written his political epitaph of Eknath Shinde in 2022 when he joined the BJP by splitting the Shiv Sena.
But his welfare schemes and hands-on approach to governance has made him the man of the hour in Maharashtra politics. He has also emerged as a strong Maratha leader.
Even when the BJP is the dominant party and has fielded more candidates (152) in the election, Eknath Shinde has earned the trust of the bigger ally.
Last month, when a reporter even asked Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis about the CM face of the Mahayuti, the BJP leader pointed to Shinde.
The Mahayuti alliance is leading by over 200 seats. The BJP is leading in 120-plus constituencies, crossing its 2019 results of 105 seats. Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction shows a lead in 35 seats — far better than its Lok Sabha polls, where they won 1 out of the four contested seats.
Now, the Sena vs Sena debate has been settled by Eknath Shinde with a gadar. One could even say, it was a journey from gaddar to ‘hakdaar’ (rightful claimant) for Shinde and his Shiv Sena.