Uddhav recalls his ‘unexpected’ start at ‘unexpected’ end
MUMBAI: In the last two and half years, Uddhav Thackeray made it a point to reiterate that he never wanted the chief ministership. And on Wednesday evening, as he resigned as the chief minister of Maharashtra, Thackeray said he came to the post “unexpectedly” and was going out similarly.
“I came unexpectedly and going similarly. I am not going anywhere; I will meet Shiv Sainiks at Sena Bhavan and rebuild the party with new blood. The Shiv Sena will remain the same and nobody can take it away from us... Shiv Sena has faced several challenges and will deal with many more in the future,” he said during a live address.
The Thackerays have always remained behind the scenes and ran the proceedings with a ‘remote control’, but Uddhav Thackeray, 62, took the CM’S post to keep his erstwhile ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), out in 2019. As his tenure at the helm of the state’s administration abruptly ended on Wednesday, analysts indicated that this decision to take public office was probably his undoing.
Thackeray’s tenure as the chief minister was marred by complaints, including his alleged isolation from legislators and party workers though his supporters underlined that this was true only for a few months due to his poor health.
But his handling of the pandemic was lauded. Thackeray earned plaudits with his numerous addresses during the Covid-induced lockdown and the second wave of the pandemic.
In the initial months of his chief ministership, Thackeray was reluctant to move to Varsha (the official residence of the CM), but later shifted for ease of government functioning. Faced with the revolt and a possible defeat, last week Thackeray moved of the bungalow in Malabar Hill to his family home, Matoshree, in Bandra East, which acted as the seat of Sena power for decades.
Political observers said that Thackeray’s handling of the government was not hands-on like other chief ministers before him. Thackeray’s inexperience in keeping all the stakeholders close to him hurt him.
Political analyst, Hemant Desai said, “Uddhav Thackeray took the responsibility in specific circumstances. I don’t think he made a mistake by accepting the chief ministership. It looked like he accepted the challenge. Covid tested his skill as an administrator and he tried to handle it in his best capacity. I think he failed to pay attention to the party organisation or did not make arrangements for the same.” “Thackeray should have also responded to the complaints of his legislators that he was inaccessible. Further, he should have also addressed the confusion in his cadre after he teamed up with the parties that have different ideologies,” he added.
Battered by the revolt in the party, Thackeray now faces a challenge to rebuild the party as several key leaders are expected to desert the Sena fold. Thackeray’s first challenge now would be to retain control of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and 13 other civic bodies. After losing 39 legislators to state urban development minister Eknath Shinde’s revolt, the BMC elections are likely to be a make or break for the Shiv Sena. Thackeray’s Sena will clash with the BJP, which is riding high on its success in the recent Rajya Sabha and legislative council polls.