
Shiv Sena ties up with Republican Sena for upcoming civic polls
The move is expected to consolidate Dalit votes in urban centres, including Mumbai.
Mumbai, July 16 (PTI) With elections to local bodies in Maharashtra looming, Shiv Sena, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on Wednesday announced an alliance with Republican Sena led by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's grandson Anandraj Ambedkar.
The alliance is expected to play a crucial role in the elections to the municipal corporations in Mumbai and other cities, as well as the Zilla Parishads.
It comes amid growing speculation about a possible reunion between Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin Raj Thackeray and the potential consolidation of Marathi votes.
Anandraj Ambedkar, younger brother of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief Prakash Ambedkar, welcomed the alliance.
'This is a historic moment. We believe this partnership will create a new political alternative that represents the aspirations of Dalits and the common people,' he said.
Anandraj Ambedkar had tested the electoral waters decades ago. He had contested the Lok Sabha election from the Amravati Lok Sabha constituency, but failed to secure victory.
Republican Sena has the pockets of influence mainly in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. PTI ND NSK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
2 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Uddhav and Aaditya meet Fadnavis, Worli MLA calls it ‘friendly exchange'
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray met on Thursday on the premises of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. The Sena UBT chief and his son and MLA Aaditya Thackeray attended the 20-minute meeting, held in the chamber of Legislative Council Chairman Ram Shinde. The meeting comes a day after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis offered former ally and Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray to join the Mahayuti. 'Uddhavji, now we don't have to do anything till 2029. We have no scope left to come there (to opposition benches). But you have the scope to come here (to treasury benches). We can think about it differently. We will talk differently,' Fadnavis had said in the legislative council on Wednesday. The meeting took place after a delegation of Shiv Sena (UBT) legislators held a meeting with legislative council chairman Ram Shinde and Fadnavis. The delegation reminded the government about its pending demand of appointment of Leader of Opposition in the legislative Assembly. Following this, Thackeray gifted a book titled 'Hindichi Sakti Havich Kashala (What is the need of making Hindi mandatory?)' to Fadnavis and Shinde. 'We presented him a collection of articles from apolitical individuals opposing imposition of Hindi. We are opposing the imposition of Hindi from the first standard,' said Aaditya Thackeray after the meeting. When asked about the consecutive exchanges between Thackeray and Fadnavis, the MLA from Worli constituency said that 'friendly exchanges' routinely happen in the legislature.


News18
5 minutes ago
- News18
‘Saari Hekdi Nikal Dunga': Pappu Yadav Challenges Raj Thackeray Over Marathi Language Row
Pappu Yadav, Jan Adhikar Party chief, challenged MNS chief Raj Thackeray over anti-Bihari comments, calling them divisive. Yadav vowed to confront Thackeray in Mumbai. Jan Adhikar Party chief Pappu Yadav on Saturday challenged the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, warning him that he'll travel to Mumbai and take out all his arrogance in response to Thackeray's comments against Bihari migrants. While addressing the media in Bihar, Yadav criticised Raj Thackeray's anti-migrant stance, calling it divisive and disrespectful. 'People from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have contributed immensely to the development of Mumbai and Maharashtra. Raj Thackeray cannot insult them with his hollow threats and arrogance. 'Mumbai aakar saari hekdi nikal dunga," Yadav declared. This comes after Raj Thackeray called for prioritising Maharashtrians in local jobs and criticised the influx of North Indian migrants into Mumbai. Thackeray's party, the MNS, has often been accused of stoking regional tensions and targeting migrant workers through its aggressive campaigns. Responding to Thackeray's statement, Pappu Yadav said that such statements damage the unity and integrity of India. 'Mumbai belongs to the entire country. It is not anyone's personal property. People from every corner of India work and live there. Raj Thackeray's politics of hate will not be tolerated anymore," he said. The language row began after the Maharashtra government's decision-later rolled back to make Hindi a mandatory third language in primary schools. The policy was met with strong resistance from key Marathi leaders like Raj and Uddhav Thackeray, who saw it as a threat to Marathi's linguistic and cultural identity. Pappu Yadav's challenge comes at a time when Raj and Uddhav Thackeray, the estranged cousins, reunited in Mumbai on Saturday for a 'mega victory gathering" to celebrate the rollback of the controversial Hindi language policy in primary schools. The Maharashtra education department had earlier proposed to make Hindi a compulsory third language for Classes 1 to 5 in both Marathi and English medium schools, as per the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. A government resolution to this effect was issued on April 17. Amid opposition pressure, the policy was modified on June 18, stating Hindi would be the default third language, with students allowed to choose another Indian language if at least 20 students in a class requested it. A review committee was then formed on June 24 to reassess the decision. Following widespread criticism from the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance—including Shiv Sena (UBT), MNS, and NCP (SP)—the state government rescinded both resolutions last Sunday. view comments First Published: July 05, 2025, 16:12 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


News18
5 minutes ago
- News18
'If Thackeray Family Retorts To Violence...': Nishikant Dubey Clarifies 'Will Beat You' Remark
Last Updated: Dubey's statement comes in reference to an earlier remark where Dubey had said that if MNS chief Raj Thackeray travels to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, he would be beaten up. Days after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's remark amid the ongoing Hindi-Marathi row sparked a controversy in Maharashtra, he has now issued a clarification saying that if the Thackeray family 'resorts to violence on the basis of language, that is completely unacceptable to us." 'As far as my statement is concerned, I said that Maharashtra has made a significant contribution to the freedom movement. Just as there is respect for the Marathi language and culture, there is also respect for Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu," said Dubey. 'Similarly, people love every regional language and culture. People from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and other states also love their language and culture just as much. If the Thackeray family resorts to violence on the basis of language, that is completely unacceptable to us," he added. His latest statement comes in reference to an earlier remark where Dubey had said that if Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray travels to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, he would be beaten up. 'You people are surviving on our money. What kind of industries do you have?… If you are courageous enough and beat those who speak Hindi, then you should beat all those who speak Urdu, Tamil, and Telugu. If you are such a big 'boss', come out of Maharashtra, come to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu—'tumkopatak patak ke maarenge'… We all respect Marathi and the people of Maharashtra, who fought for India's independence," Dubey had said. This sparked a row, drawing massive criticism to Dubey. Congress leader Harish Rawat said the BJP MP's remarks were politically motivated. Rawat said, '…BJP puts forward Nishikant Dubey wherever it wants to spread venom in the society…There is no big difference between Hindi and Marathi. Bollywood is the powerhouse of Hindi and it has promoted Hindi all over the world…Whatever is happening in the BJP today is the result of the BJP's conspiracy to divide Marathi and non-Marathi voters to win elections." The language row in Maharashtra began after some traders in Mumbai were allegedly attacked by MNS workers for not speaking Marathi. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.