Both the Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray-led factions of India's Shiv Sena Party in Maharashtra are celebrating its foundation day on Monday in separate events. This is the party's first foundation day since it split.
The factions seek to project themselves as the “true inheritor” of party founder late Bal Thackeray's legacy ahead of the parliamentary polls and Maharashtra Assembly elections scheduled for 2024.
According to media reports, state chief Shinde will address a rally in Goregaon in northwest Mumbai, while former state chief and son of Bal Thackeray -- Uddhav Thackeray -- will address a rally at Shanmukhananda Hall in Sion.
Earlier on Sunday, both factions engaged in a poster war to claim the party's legacy.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ji welcomed Matoshree at her residence. During this visit Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Delhi Education Minister Atishi Marlena, Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha, MP Sanjay Singh and Shiv Sena were present!
© Photo : Uddhav Thackeray
The posters put up by the Shinde faction featured Bal Thackeray along with his political mentor Anand Dighe, with íconic Indian freedom struggle warrior leader Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, alongside a map of Maharashtra, in the backdrop and a photo of Shinde.
Meanwhile, the posters by the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction carried photos of late Bal Thackeray, his son Uddhav and grandson Aaditya with a message asserting "This is the get-together of die-hard loyalists. Shiv Sena family is different from the world."
Why did the Party Split?
The party split after the 56th foundation day, when Shinde revolted against Uddhav and toppled the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, comprising Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress Party, on June 21, 2022.
Later, Shinde joined hands with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and became state chief on June 30, while BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis was made deputy state chief.
Forty of the 56 Shiv Sena lawmakers joined Shinde's faction while 16 remained with Uddhav after the split.
In Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament), 13 of the 18 parliamentarians elected from Maharashtra joined the Shinde-led faction while five opted to remain with Uddhav.
Meanwhile, deputy state chief Fadnavis has offered greetings to the Shinde faction and its workers on the occasion.
In a tweet in Marathi, he said: “Heartfelt greetings to Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde for carrying the ideology of founder leader late Bal Thackeray.”
Thackeray, a political cartoonist, founded the Shiv Sena on June 19, 1966, and made the pride of 'Marathi manoos' (Marathi speakers in Mumbai) the core plank of its politics.