 "Does Maharashtra win settle debate on Eknath Shinde and ‘real’ Shiv Sena?")
It’s a double win for Eknath Shinde. Not only has the chief minister won his seat of Kopri-Pachpakhadi, but his Shiv Sena faction has emerged as the second largest party in the state of Maharashtra — with 55 seats.
Following the win , Shinde acknowledged the people’s mandate, expressing his gratitude to the people for giving a thumping majority and a landslide victory to the Mahayuti. “I extend my heartfelt thanks to my beloved sisters, farmers, youths, and all segments who have voted for us. This is a reflection of the work we have done in the last two-and-a-half-years.”
He further acknowledged the mandate as a significant responsibility, and said, “The mandate is actually a big responsibility on us now.”
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The win has also solidified Shinde’s position in Maharashtra politics, with many stating that he is now the true inheritor of Bal Thackeray’s legacy. His deputy, Devendra Fadnavis went one step ahead and said, “People have given their mandate and have accepted Eknath Shinde as the real Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar has got the legitimacy of NCP.”
A winning strike-rate
In this Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena contested a total of 81 seats. As per the Election Commission, of this, they are ahead in 55 seats. This gives the Shinde a winning strike rate of 67.9 per cent.
Compare this to Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena. It fought on 95 seats, of which it was ahead on only 21 seats, which gives it a strike rate of only 22.1 per cent.
Even in the Lok Sabha elections, Shinde’s Sena outperformed the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena. The Shinde Sena had won seven out of the 15 seats it contested, achieving a success rate of 46.6 per cent, as compared to Team Thackeray, which won nine of the 21 seats — 42.85 per cent.
Speaking on Shinde’s win, Eknath Shinde’s son, Shrikant Shinde, was quoted as saying, “The mandate of the people of Maharashtra has shown who is carrying forward the ideals of late Bal Thackeray.”
It also underlines the fact that Shiv Sena is “not a private limited company”.
Shinde’s connect with the people
Eknath Shinde is also one of the brains behind the popular Ladki Bahin Yojana, which has been credited for the Mahayuti alliance ’s thumping victory. The scheme ensures a monthly support of Rs 1,500 to underprivileged women, aged 21 to 65. Many poll pundits believe that it is this very scheme that led to 53 lakh more women voting in these elections compared to 2019, and their voting percentage rising by six percentage points.
Moreover, Shinde has been hailed for his hands-on approach as the chief minister of the state. He also has been able to secure the trust of the BJP. Last month, when a reporter even asked Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis about the CM face of the Mahayuti, the BJP leader pointed to Shinde.
As chief minister, Shinde has also been credited for being accessible. People from his faction as well as the Mahayuti alliance have said that the doors of Varsha, the official residence of Maharashtra chief minister, have always been open to all.
Shinde has also held his own in the Mahayuti alliance. He’s driven a hard bargain during the Lok Sabha and Assembly election seat negotiations, ensuring that his faction isn’t run over by Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis, the two bigger leaders. As one Sena leader told the Indian Express, “Shinde has successfully made sure his people get justice and are rehabilitated which helped him ensure support for him among his party leaders remains intact and the party is strengthened.”
Eknath Shinde breaks away
It was in June 2022 that Eknath Shinde , a former auto driver, led a rebellion that resulted in the split of the Shiv Sena, and brought down the Uddhav Thackeray government of Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress.
Shinde with the support of 40 MLAs, said that he was dissatisfied with the MVA alliance and its deviation from Shiv Sena’s ideology.
However, when he engineered the split and crossed over to the BJP, many believed that it was the end of Shinde’s political career and that the BJP would trample upon him.
Even now, amidst electioneering, Sanjay Raut of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena taunted Shinde by saying, “The Shiv Sena that we have, of Balasaheb Thackeray, never went to Delhi for seat sharing. In those days, BJP leaders used to come to Mumbai for seat sharing. But, duplicate Shiv Sena has its boss in Delhi and hence they need to go there and do sit-ups. They are not the original Shiv Sena but ‘non-biological’ Shiv Sena. Amit Shah gave birth to this non-biological Shiv Sena.”
However, the Maharashtra results have proven otherwise and as India Today wrote — “Shinde’s journey has gone from gaddar (traitor) to ‘hakdaar’ (rightful claimant).”
With inputs from agencies
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