MUMBAI: Wrestling with legal issues involving Shiv Sena’s name and symbol following EC’s ruling, former CM Uddhav Thackeray has predicted mid-term polls in Maharashtra which could be announced “anytime.”
In rallies held for the Assembly by-elections in Kasaba Peth and Chinchwad in Pune, Uddhav said in case the SC disqualified 16 MLAs, including CM Eknath Shinde, there were chances of mid-term polls.
A Supreme Court bench is hearing a plea on the disqualification of the MLAs due to their anti-party activities. These MLAs belong to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. NCP chief Sharad Pawar, however, said he did not know in what context Uddhav had made the statement. He said he could hardly see midterm polls coming.
Meanwhile, Uddhav announced the ‘Shiv Garjana’ mass contact programme across Maharashtra. It will start from February 25 to all of March. Party in-charges in various districts will take the party ideology to the people and inform people how they were cheated by the BJP and the Shinde faction.
Sources said that Thackeray has asked his party leaders to try to groom and identify the second-rung leadership wherever their sitting MLAs and Lok Sabha MPs left them to join the Shinde factions.
“Due to the sitting MLAs and LS MPs, the second-rung leadership was not allowed to grow. They have a big opportunity now to emerge as leaders. Uddhav has decided to infuse fresh blood in the organization,” said a senior leader close to Uddhav.