MUMBAI: Uddhav Thackeray’s decision not to contest the election for the legislative council is being interpreted as a sign of change of guard in the Shiv Sena (UBT). Party insiders say Uddhav is preparing the ground for handing over the party reins to son Aditya Thackeray.
When Uddhav became the Maharashtra chief minister in 2019, he got himself elected as a member of the legislative council, while Aditya was elected to the assembly. The father-son duo had both Houses covered then. Aditya continues to be an MLA from Mumbai’s Worli constituency.
Now, with the Shiv Sena (UBT) nominating Ambadas Danave as its candidate for MLC polls for the lone seat that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) can win, Aditya’s stock is set to rise in the party. Observers say, with Aditya’s ascent, Uddhav has made a decision to groom the next generation of leadership and bring fresh faces in the party.
Sources say that Aditya’s involvement in party’s decision-making has already increased, even when it is not being taken kindly by its old guard. However, Aditya seems undeterred and is planning to make largescale changes for the next Lok Sabha and assembly elections. “When Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut unilaterally announced Sharad Pawar’s name as the MVA candidate for the Rajya Sabha, Aditya Thackeray was in favour of re-sending MP Priyanka Chaturvedi to the House.
This time, the Shiv Sena, by choosing Danve, has dropped its claim over the Rajya Sabha seat that could have seen the re-nomination of Raut for the Rajya Sabha. Now, it will be tough for Raut to get elected to the Rajya Sabha. In short, Aditya chose to encourage and promote the state-level leadership of Danave over Raut,” said a person who is privy to this development.
Sources said that Aditya plans to build his own team of young leaders from different parts of Maharashtra. “In the coming day, we will see more changes that will help Aditya tighten his grip over the party,” said an observer.
Maharashtra politics seems to be under a churn, especially when it comes to the INDIA bloc. Last week, NCP(SP) leader Supriya Sule had claimed that she would not contest against any member of her cousin Ajit Pawar’s cousin in Baramati again, as she had done in the last Lok Sabha elections against his wife, Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra.
The bonhomie between the two Pawar families could impact the fortunes of the INDI alliance, just as the change of guard in Shiv Sena (UBT) could.
