A tale of 3 former Shiv Sena leaders

him back. On the other hand, the BJP would be happy to get him on board to counter Sena in Konkan.

Chhagan Bhujbal came from a family of vegetable vendors. A fiery orator and a good organiser, he became Mayor of Mumbai and later Sena legislator from Byculla. As the Sena emerged as the main opposition party in the 1990 assembly elections, senior Thackeray chose Manohar Joshi for the post of Opposition leader in the assembly, which angered Bhujbal. He built bridges with then Congress CM Sharad Pawar, who scripted his defection with a bunch of Sena MLAS. Since then, Bhubjal remained a trusted aide of Pawar. He quit the Congress when Pawar formed the NCP. Pawar made him deputy CM as the Congress-ncp formed their first alliance government in 1999. He had to later resign following the Telgi scam, but bounced back. He was made deputy CM again in 2009. With the emergence of Ajit Pawar, he was demoted as a minister. It was during his tenure as public works minister, Bhujbal got embroiled in a series of allegations which has now led to him being lodged behind bars. As of now, things are not looking good for him.

For more than two decades, Ganesh Naik has been dominating the politics of Navi Mumbai. He was made a Sena group leader in the Assembly after Bhujbal defected to the Congress. A resourceful and influential leader, Naik was seen as a chief ministerial contender in the run up to 1995 elections. Naik aides allege that then CM Joshi ensured that Naik’s wings were clipped. Even though he was made a minister, Naik was given less influential departments. Still, he called the shots in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. In 1998, he had differences with the Sena chief. He floated his separate outfit and contested the 1999 assembly polls but lost. He then joined the NCP and returned to state cabinet as a minster post 2004 elections. He remained a minister till 2014 and also retained his hold over Navi Mumbai civic body. However, things seem to be changing now. His close aides say he doesn’t see any future with the NCP, and is exploring possibilities of joining the BJP or returning to the Sena.

What would have happened to their careers if they would have remained with the Sena? But then, politics is an unpredictable game.