Sena leader Aaditya predicts mid-term election
MUMBAI:FORMER Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray predicted that Maharashtra is heading towards a mid-term election as the Eknath Shinde government, he said, will soon collapse.
As Aaditya addressed a gathering of party workers at Paithan and Nevasa on the third day of his Shiv Samvad Yatra, he talked about the ‘betrayal’ the Shiv Sena faced.
Uddhav Thackeray’s only mistake in the government was he did not snoop on his MLAS and MPS.
“We will continue to commit this mistake, because if we can’t trust Shiv Sena workers, who do we trust.”
Repeating that rebel Sena MLAS who were ‘forced to revolt’ are welcome to return to the Uddhav Thackeray faction, Aaditya said traitors conspired to split Shiv Sena when Uddhav Thackeray was unwell.
Aaditya’s Shiv Sanvad Yatra is aimed at reaching out to the party cadre ater the rebellion of the Shinde faction which toppled the Uddhav government.
Aaditya’s outreach ater being removed from power has drawn criticism from rebel MLAS.
“Had Aaditya held such meetings earlier, the party would not have faced a revolt. Uddhavji was unwell, but you were young and 30 years old.
“Today, Uddhavji has to travel without mask and visit party’s shakhas (branches). We revolted to restore the party’s lost glory,” rebel Sena Gulabrao Patil said earlier.
Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil on
Saturday said the party decided with a heavy heart that rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde should become the chief minister instead of Devendra Fadnavis.
Shiv Sena MP and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut criticised the Election Commission for raising questions on “the party that was founded by Balasaheb Thackeray.”
He said that it is a sad development that the 56-year-old Shiv Sena launched by Balasaheb Thackeray - now led by his son and ex-chief minister Uddhav Thackeray - on the Hindutva plank is now compelled to prove its credentials to the poll panel, and termed it shocking for the people of Maharashtra.
Raut’s comments came against the backdrop of the EC asking the Shiv Sena and the rival faction led by Shinde to submit relevant documents to establish their claims over the party by Aug.8.