The importance of being Parab
MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED)’S raids come at a time when the Shiv Sena is preparing for a bitter battle with former saffron ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls slated for later this year.
Parab is considered to have an enviable grasp on the intricacies of Mumbai’s politics and is a crucial Sena strategist for any election in the metropolis.
The 1965-born Parab was initially spotted and mentored by the late Shiv Sena leader Madhukar Sarpotdar, who like him lived in Bandra East. Later, Parab, who was active in the Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena (BVS), the Shiv Sena youth wing then headed by Raj Thackeray, was groomed by late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. Parab often recalls how the Sena chief once lashed out at a senior police officer who had picked him (Parab) up after a protest in the western suburbs.
Parab led the Sena’s union for cable television operators since the 1990s, a time when the cable television distribution business was still taking its baby steps in India. The nature of the business meant that it was dominated by those with money, muscle and local clout.
“This gave him an enviable grasp on the city’s politics as he came in touch with grassroots workers and those with muscle power. This laid the foundation for his emergence as the Shiv Sena’s election strategist,” said a Sena functionary who did not wish to be named.
In 2005, former chief minister and then leader of opposition Narayan Rane quit the Shiv Sena after an intense power struggle with Uddhav, who was then the working president of the party. For the first time, Shiv Sainiks, who enjoyed a free run on Mumbai’s streets, were forced to retreat by Rane’s men. Raj Thackeray too left the Sena to form the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in 2006.
It was in these times that Parab, who by then had been nominated to the state legislative council, played a crucial role in chalking out the party‘s strategies and moves.
As the ‘vibhag pramukh’ for the then Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha constituency, his stomping grounds also included Matoshree, the Thackeray family residence at Bandra East, that pitch-forked him into Uddhav Thackeray’s esoteric inner circle.
In the 2007 elections to BMC, the Shiv Sena, which was then in an alliance with the BJP, managed to beat back a challenge from the Congress, which Rane had joined, and the MNS, with Parab playing a role in the ground-level strategy.
“He is a good grassroots organiser and strategist... The Sena is a part known for street-level politics and lacked a brain trust or someone with the depth to chalk out strategies on the drawing board. With his knowledge of politics, education and also his training as a lawyer,
Parab eased himself into the role. He also handled the legal side of the party and became a loyalist and confidant of the Thackeray family. Parab did not have a constituency of his own or a mass base, which made him a safe bet for Uddhav, who is cautious about such leaders considering their nuisance value,” said the functionary quoted earlier.
By then, murmurs against Milind Narvekar, who was Uddhav’s powerful personal secretary and gatekeeper, were growing with a number of rebels blaming him for their decision. Anil Parab soon emerged as a power centre in the Sena, along with Rajya Sabha MP’S Sanjay Raut and Anil Desai.
In 2010, Parab faced a shock defeat in the legislative council elections against Independent candidate Vijay Sawant, who was backed by Congress and then chief minister Ashok Chavan. He was, however, renominated in 2012 and three years later, played a major role in trouncing Narayan Rane in the by-election to the assembly from the Bandra East constituency. The election was necessitated due to the demise of Shiv Sena MLA Prakash (Bala) Sawant, and his widow Trupti became a giant killer of sorts by defeating Rane.
However, Parab was humbled in 2019, when Trupti was dropped, reportedly at his behest and replaced with Vishwanath Mahadeshwar. She rebelled, allegedly with covert support from a Sena leader at odds with Parab, and the ensuing poll battle saw Zeeshan Siddiqui of the Congress sail through in the seat, in which Matoshree falls, an embarrassment for the Sena and Parab. In 2019, when Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray decided to take the plunge — he was the first Thackeray to contest an election — it was Parab who helped him zero down on Worli as his constituency from choices which also included Bandra East and Osmanabad. When the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was formed in a set of extraordinary circumstances, Parab was inducted into the cabinet as transport minister and is said to be among the ministers closest to Uddhav. He had also played a backstage role in the legal battle that formed part of the drama before the MVA government was sworn-in.
However, Parab does lack administrative experience, a second Sena functionary said, adding that this was reflected in his inability to resolve the strike of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) workers, which continued for almost seven months and caused immense hardship to people.
The Shiv Sena’s rule over India’s richest civic body (19851992 and 1997 to present) has helped it maintain its organisation muscle by ensuring that the benefits of the “reward economy” trickle down to its cadre. Any jolt to the status quo may jeopardise its control over Mumbai.