Uddhav-Raj tie-up a fight for political survival after setbacks, anti-Hindi stance just a medium to achieve it
When nothing works it is best to go back to the basics. Bala Saheb Thackeray launched
Shiv Sena
on the Marathi manoos versus 'outsiders' plank, attacking the Tamilians working in Mumbai for taking away the jobs of locals. His son and nephew are now banking on the same old formula of political polarization ahead of the
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
elections. BMC, the richest municipal body in the country, was once a stronghold of the erstwhile Shiv Sena.
This tirade against 'imposition' of Hindi is primarily a fight for political survival after recent setbacks which have posed a new threat to their relevance in Mumbai and Maharashtra politics. The long overdue BMC elections- the last one was held in 2017 and the five year term got over in 2022- are likely to be held soon. Shiv Sena (UBT) and
Raj Thackeray
's
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena
(MNS) are eyeing the Marathi voters to defeat the alliance of BJP, the breakaway faction of Shiv Sena led by
Eknath Shinde
and Ajit Pawar's NCP. If NCP (SP) goes with SS(UBT), Congress will contest alone.
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MNS Chief Raj Thackeray's politics has lacked novelty right from the time he ventured into public life. Imitating his uncle Bala Saheb in every aspect, from his hairstyle to speech delivery to being a cartoonist, he has tried time and again to make political gains by attacking those who come to Mumbai from other states to earn a livelihood.
As is well known, the original Shiv Sena- before it was divided into three factions- under Bala Saheb targeted Tamilians working in the state for eating into the job market of locals. Raj Thackeray has unsuccessfully tried this formula a few times since 2007 against poor North Indians working on the streets of Mumbai and other cities.
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In 2008, Raj Thackeray's followers had attacked North Indian taxi and auto drivers in Mumbai. He gave a call that North Indians working on the streets of Mumbai should leave the state, leading to his party's Delhi unit breaking away in protest and forming Rashtrawadi Shiv Sena. Some members of this faction had earlier dug up the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium pitch in January 1999 to prevent an India-Pakistan cricket match.
MNS goons have often attacked taxi and auto drivers from north India over the years. However, such acts have not helped Raj Thackeray emerge from political wilderness. After successive failures, he has now chosen the ever-sensitive issue of local language versus Hindi.
Meanwhile,
Uddhav Thackeray
is fighting his own battle to stay afloat in Maharashtra politics. Despite Bala Saheb anointing him as his successor, which led cousin Raj to form MNS 20 years ago, Uddhav proved incapable of taking over the mantle. The photographer-turned politician has always appeared to be uneasy and too soft in the rough and tumble of politics.
The breaking up of Shiv Sena in June 2022 with Eknath Shinde forming his own party and becoming chief minister in alliance with BJP and NCP did not come as a big surprise. Shinde also won the right to the party symbol and name.
Though Shiv Sena (UBT) recovered some ground and won nine of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in 2024, it performed badly just a few months later in November 2024 in the Assembly elections, winning only 20 of the 288 seats. Shiv Sena (Shinde) did much better with 57 seats. MNS lost in all the 135 seats it contested.
The Thackeray cousins hope to reap a good electoral harvest in the
BMC elections
but the path to victory is not an easy one.
In the last BMC elections held in 2017 to the 227-member body, Shiv Sena won 84 seats but its ally BJP did extremely well jumping from 31 seats in 2012 to 82 seats. BJP's rise led to the breaking of its ties with Shiv Sena in 2019.
With BMC high on Shiv Sena's radar, Uddhav Thackeray increased the strength of the municipal body to 236 during his chief ministership. This was quashed by Shinde who restored the strength to 227.
The BMC contest would be aggressive and interesting this time. Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis
is treading cautiously on the
Hindi imposition
issue as he is aware of the repercussions of such an emotive issue. The three-language formula has rocked Tamil Nadu and Karnataka as well. Fadnavis recently withdrew the government resolution on the three-language policy.
Uddhav has been trying to go back to the old Shiv Sena politics in other aspects too. With his secularism experiment not paying dividends, he is increasingly taking a pro-Hindutva stand along with nationalism. Since BJP has been consistent on these issues, the voters may prefer it over SS(UBT) which has switched camps to suit its politics.
The longevity of the new tie-up between the two cousins is doubtful. Such tie-ups between siblings have been short-lived in other parties, with
Rahul Gandhi
and Priyanka being an exception.
The Thackeray cousins may part ways soon after the BMC results are out.
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