Mumbai, Correspondent

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Maharashtra Chief Spokesperson Navnath Ban on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, alleging that Raut has weakened Aaditya Thackeray's political standing by welcoming former MLA Sachin Ahir's return to the original Shiv Sena.

Ban claimed that Raut's public expression of satisfaction over Ahir's departure from the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction suggested a deliberate weakening of Aaditya Thackeray's camp. He further alleged that Raut was aware Aaditya Thackeray could face a tough contest in retaining the Worli Assembly seat in the next Maharashtra Assembly elections.

The BJP leader also accused Raut of repeatedly undermining Uddhav Thackeray's leadership by claiming that the party had failed to identify loyal workers. According to Ban, such statements project Uddhav Thackeray's leadership as weak and are aimed at laying the groundwork for a possible merger of Shiv Sena (UBT) with the Congress.

Responding to Raut's criticism of the BJP, Ban said Raut should refrain from lecturing others on political history, alleging that "betrayal" has become synonymous with the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut.

Praising Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Ban said the Mahayuti government remains focused on accelerating Maharashtra's development and transforming the state into the country's top-performing economy.

On Raut's allegations regarding financial irregularities, Ban asserted that anyone found guilty in the Ram Temple donation controversy would face action in accordance with the law. He also accused the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of financial mismanagement and demanded accountability from its leaders.

The remarks come amid escalating political exchanges between the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and Shiv Sena (UBT) over recent political developments in Maharashtra.

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By Vibha Sharma

In politics, it can never really be an endgame. So, are the devastating developments in Shiv Sena (UBT) the end of the road for party chief Uddhav Thackeray—the son of the man who started it all six decades ago, the late Balasaheb Thackeray?

Considered an introverted politician, especially when compared to the aggressive line followed by the "original" Shiv Sena and his father, many believe that the "humble and modest" Uddhav was perhaps never really cut out for cutthroat politics. For much of his early life, he remained out of the spotlight, preferring wildlife and aerial photography over public life.

His cousin Raj Thackeray was widely seen as more of a chip off the old block, resembling Balasaheb Thackeray in temperament and political style.

Uddhav took control of the party in January 2013 after the death of his father and also inherited the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance—one of the oldest and most enduring ideological coalitions in Indian politics, spanning three decades before its collapse in 2019 over power-sharing issues between the two.

Observers say breaking up with the BJP was perhaps Uddhav's biggest mistake.

After breaking up with the BJP, he formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government with the Congress and the NCP to become the Chief Minister of Maharashtra —a decision that reshaped Maharashtra politics and the fortunes of his party. But since the first split in 2022, when he lost the government, MLAs, and the "Bow and Arrow" party symbol to Eknath Shinde, he has been battling a perception war over who carries the Balasaheb's legacy.

Observers say more than when leaders like Chhagan Bhujbal, Narayan Rane, or Raj Thackeray left, what hurt Uddhav most was when Shinde jumped ship to become Chief Minister with the support of the BJP and, later, the breakaway faction of Sharad Pawar's NCP. Unlike earlier departures led by individual leaders, the Shinde revolt directly challenged his leadership and the party's political future.

On Monday, Shinde dealt another devastating blow, taking away six of Uddhav's nine Lok Sabha MPs. With rumblings also among Shiv Sena (UBT) MLAs and no control over local bodies, especially the BMC, observers say Uddhav's uncertain future now depends on how he navigates the upcoming electoral battles with a shrinking support base.

His immediate challenge will be whether he can rally remaining supporters, reinvent the party's grassroots outreach, and show that he still holds the Thackeray legacy. "Despite losing the party name and symbol to Shinde, Uddhav and son Aaditya Thackeray still hold the Thackeray surname, which may hold some emotional value among Shiv Sena supporters," they say. There may also be a sympathy factor favouring him, but will that hold given the sharp politics of rivals BJP and Shinde? That remains to be seen.

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Mumbai, June 4

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) faced a major setback as its candidates withdrew their candidatures on Thursday, ensuring that ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance will win the Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad) election virtually unopposed.

Thursday was the last day to withdraw applications for the Legislative Council election and candidates withdrew their applications by 3 pm.

Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena had announced Bal Mane as its candidate from the Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Legislative Council constituency, but he withdrew from the contest on Thursday, after which the Sena expelled him from the party for anti-party activities.

Bal Mane was originally a BJP leader. However, during the 2024 assembly elections, he left the BJP and publicly joined the Thackeray group. He contested the assembly elections from Ratnagiri against Cabinet Minister Uday Samant from the Maha Vikas Aghadi, but he had to face defeat in that election. After that, he was once again brought into the election fray through the Legislative Council. However, his withdrawal before the voting has completely changed the political equations in Konkan

Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena's Devyani Dongaonkar was nominated from the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-Jalna Legislative Council constituency, but she suddenly withdrew her candidature, after which the party expelled Devyani Dongaonkar and her husband Krishna Dongaonkar.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena candidate Anil Kadam who was supposed to be the candidate from the Nashik Legislative Council constituency withdrew from the contest and did not file his application. Congress candidate Sahebrao Kamble, who was nominated by the Congress to contest from the Yavatmal Legialative Council, withdrew from the election.

Reacting to these developments Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and chief Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut alleged here on Thursday that, “The ruling party (BJP) has spent a whopping Rs 150 crore to get our candidates to withdraw their applications. One of our candidates was given Rs 25 crore to withdraw”.
“From the information I have so far, the ruling party is adamant to ensure that elections are held unopposed and many unscrupulous methods have been adopted to achieve this. A large number of attempts were made to buy off opposition candidates and it succeeded in some places,” Sanjay Raut said.

“Yesterday (Wednesday), such transactions took place at Hotel Sofitel in Mumbai, located in the Bandra Kurla Complex. After that, our candidate in Konkan (Bal Mane) withdrew. Our candidate withdrew in Sambhajinagar. The person who fixed the deal informed us. The process of purchasing candidates is going on in Maharashtra. I think this is a way of destroying the state and the country. This is extremely dangerous for democracy,” Sanjay Raut said.
“The prices of horses were fixed only to withdraw their candidatures. I am not shocked at all. I expected this. That is why I kept saying from the beginning that this election is not ours. This election is not for party workers. This election is for those who can spend cash, do horse trading, as well as buy candidates and votes. This is not democracy. This was my honest opinion and I tried to present my opinion many times in my party. I was afraid that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) would get discredited due to this, especially my party,” Sanjay Raut said.
Reacting to the withdrawal of MVA candidates from the poll fray, Maharashtra State Congress Committee President Harshwardhan Sapkal said, “Despite the BJP's power everywhere, it is still trampling upon democratic values in its desire for more power. Offers of crores of rupees have been made to opposition candidates in order to ensure that Legislative Council elections are won unopposed. The BJP has used all means to get candidates to withdraw nominations, putting aside all morality. The BJP does not want democracy. It wants a 'nomination system' instead of elections”.

“Voters of Legislative Council elections are the elected representatives in the local self-government bodies and it is a limited electorate. But in this election too, the ruling alliance has openly played the game of throwing money and enjoying the spectacle. There has been a huge distribution of money by the ruling party. The BJP and the Election Commission are in an unholy alliance. This picture is not good for democracy,” Sapkal said.

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Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said that it is a big responsibility to take charge of the NCP away from the shadow of his uncle and NCP founder Sharad Pawar after the split. In a conversation during his 'Jan Samman Yatra', Ajit Pawar said that preparations are underway for the Maharashtra Assembly elections and seat sharing talks between the ruling alliance partners NCP, Shiv Sena and BJP are progressing positively. It is worth noting that Ajit Pawar and some MLAs close to him broke ties with Sharad Pawar's party in July last year and joined the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. Later the party was named NCP and Ajit Pawar also got the election symbol. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP SP is part of the opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi. Apart from Sharad Pawar's NCP SP, the Maha Vikas Aghadi also includes Congress and Shiv Sena UBT.

Seat sharing talks underway

Speaking about seat sharing for the upcoming state elections, Pawar said he has spoken to Shiv Sena leader Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis two-three times and the talks are progressing in a positive manner. On the dates for elections in Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar said it is the Election Commission's job to decide. Ajit Pawar advocated an all-party meeting to discuss the Maratha community's demand for reservation in education and government jobs. Ajit Pawar said opposition parties cannot be ignored as they also represent the people.

Pawar said, 'Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had called an all-party meeting to discuss the reservation issue, but the opposition kept away from the meeting. I don't know if the boycott was intentional or not. He said time will be sought from them (the opposition) again.' Lauding the Mukhyamantri Ladki Behen Yojana, Pawar said the scheme will be launched on August 17 at a programme in Balewadi where beneficiaries will receive money for July and August. CM Shinde and Deputy CM Fadnavis will attend the programme.

What did Ajit Pawar say on reuniting with Sharad Pawar

On being asked about the mistake he referred to in connection with the fight between Supriya Sule and his wife Sunetra in the Baramati Lok Sabha elections was political or personal, he said, "There is nothing intentional in speaking about a mistake. I am the master of my mind. I speak my mind. I am a simple person." He refused to speak on the rift in the Pawar family (due to the NCP split). When asked about the possibility of reuniting with Sharad Pawar, the Deputy Chief Minister said, "I will just talk about my work and vision for Maharashtra. We will ask people to give us a chance again so that we can bring more money for the state." The opposition is always negative.

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