The ruling Eknath Shinde faction of Maharastra’s Shiv Sena, received endorsement and validation from the late founder, Bal Thacker family.
Bal Thackeray’s elder son and other Thakarey family members shared the Dussera stage with current Maharashtra Chief Minister, Mr. Eknath Shinde.
Mr. Uddhav Thackeray, younger son of Bal Thackarey, the recently ousted Chief Minister of a Shiv Sena coalition in Maharashtra, was no doubt disappointed.
His Shiv Sena led government which was in a coalition with the Congress and the NCP, fell to a strategic coup from within his party, in alleged protest against a coalition made up of ideologically different partners .
An annual Dussera meeting and celebration has been a Shiv Sena tradition since Bal Thackeray’s times.
This year’s feature was expected to be unique, in that, the party’s two rival factions were both expected to hold it.
In the end, Mr. Eknath Shinde who heads the current government with the support of the BJP in the state, may have tipped the scales in his favor, when he talked about aligning with ideologically similar parties and not betraying the Shiv Sena’s core voter base of Hindutva supporters.
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.