Tough road ahead for Sena post-rebellion

In its 56-year history, the Shiv Sena has witnessed many a rebellion which saw the exit of party stalwarts such as Chhagan Bhujbal (1991), Narayan Rane (2005) and Raj Thackeray (2006), but none matched the scale of the huge void left by Shinde that led to the fall of the government led by Uddhav Thackeray.

New Delhi, June 30: Hit by a rebellion led by Eknath Shinde and the resignation of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena finds itself at political crossroads once again, the first big challenge for party after the death of founder Balasaheb Thackeray in 2012.

In an emotional address on Wednesday night, Uddhav Thackeray announced his resignation as Maharashtra Chief Minister and declared that he would meet party workers at the Sena Bhawan, the headquarters of the outfit in central Mumbai, indicating the tough road ahead to regain the lost ground to the rebellion.

As Chief Minister, Shinde could also be a magnet that attracts Shiv Sainiks to the new power structure, further weakening the parent outfit.

In its 56-year history, the Shiv Sena has witnessed many a rebellion which saw the exit of party stalwarts such as Chhagan Bhujbal (1991), Narayan Rane (2005) and Raj Thackeray (2006), but none matched the scale of the huge void left by Shinde that led to the fall of the government led by Uddhav Thackeray.

According to political analysts, the writing was clear on the wall of an imminent downfall of the Shiv Sena after the BJP won the 2014 Lok Sabha and established itself as the sole torchbearer of Hindutva.

The BJP was miffed when the Sena walked out of the pre-poll alliance in 2019 and formed the government with the Congress and the NCP with Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister.

An MVA leader admitted that the rebellion had hit the Shiv Sena across its strongholds in Thane, Konkan and Marathwada regions where the rebel MLAS hail from and dealt a blow to the organisation, and that Thackeray’s emotional pitch in his farewell address could make little impact.

“Shiv Sena’s days were numbered when the BJP emerged as a sole torchbearer of Hindutva. It was only a matter of how the Sena would go down fighting or whimpering,” said political analyst Venkatesh Kesari.

He said the workers had deserted the party, a fact that was reinforced when there was little anger within the party ranks against the latest rebellion.

The earlier rebellions by Bhujbal and Rane had witnessed widespread protests and rampage by Shiv Sainiks, who ensured the defeats of the two leaders in subsequent elections.

“The chessboard in Maharashtra has changed. Uddhav may not win immediately. But, Balasaheb's image will continue with Uddhav who will be the heir and Shinde will be seen as a rebel who betrayed,” said Kumar Ketkar, senior journalist and Rajya Sabha member of Congress said.

Kesari said the BJP had been consistent in its long-term planning, strongly believing that it should be the sole party which can take up the cause of Hindutva.

“It was easier for the BJP to capture and hijack the Sena as it had worked with them for decades and knew their weak points. They tried to join hands with the NCP, but failed,” he said.