Even as the tussle between Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray for claim over the Shiv Sena is expected to go on longer, the key will be control over the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai’s civic body.
Here’s the plan for this fight — the Shinde-led faction is firming up a strategy to counter the Shiv Sena’s organisational structure in Mumbai, the bastion of the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena. While attempts to hold the Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park in Dadar were part of the strategic political signalling, the core strategy revolves around changing the dynamics, instead of making efforts to coopt the party office-bearers or shakhapramukhs, who have so far stuck with Thackeray.
“So far, we haven’t succeeded in getting the support of local leaders in Mumbai. Many shakhapramukhs haven’t yet switched sides. We have decided that we will now shift our focus away from shakhas, and try to directly woo the voters. There are many local issues which are unresolved in Mumbai. As we are in power now, we will try to to resolve them. This will help us garner votes and directly connect with the voters. The ‘mudda’ (issue) will be important, not the shakha (local branch)," a top leader told News18.
The Shinde group’s strategy is independent of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s aggressive strategy for the BMC. While the two will fight the polls together, they are also likely to take the tacit support of Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
RICHEST CIVIC BODY IN INDIA
The Shiv Sena’s power and dominance in Maharashtra politics emanates from its control over the BMC, the richest civic body in the country. It has a well-structured organisation penetrating into the grassroots. At the centre of it is the ‘shakha’. The shakhapramukh, more often, is the de-facto power centre of the locality. There are 227 shakhapramukhs in Mumbai.
Recently, the Thackeray group flexed its muscles by the show of strength at the NESCO ground in Goregaon, where it held the gatapramukh melava. It was attended by almost 37,000 gatapramukhs (office-bearers) of the party. It was here that Thackeray challenged BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to hold the BMC polls within a month.
The Shiv Sena has controlled the BMC for over two decades. The elections, likely to be held in the first three months of 2023, will be crucial for the Shinde faction to hold its sway in the current coalition. It will also be important to finish the dominance of the Thackeray-led party in the state politics.
While 40 MLAs and 12 MPs of the Shiv Sena have switched over to the Shinde side, the organisational structure in Mumbai hasn’t shown a drastic shift in loyalties.
The Shinde group is also wary that the outreach programme of Thackeray and his son and Sena leader Aaditya might get the duo sympathy. “But it will not last for long. Particularly, if the polls are to be held next year," a leader said.
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