With the Election Commission (EC) recognising it as the real Shiv Sena and allotting it the party name and ‘bow and arrow’ symbol, the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction wants to take control of the shakhas, legislative and civic bodies and government offices controlled by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) across the state, including Mumbai.
Questions have also been raised over the official bank accounts of the Sena, which contains the party funds. However, the Shinde-led faction is not yet considering claiming the bank accounts and the party funds.
Kiran Pawaskar, spokesperson of Shinde-led Sena, said as it has been recognised as the real Sena, it has the right to stake claim over all government offices of the Sena as well as shakhas. “As we have been recognised as the real Sena, we automatically have the right to take control of all the government offices of the Sena such as the legislative party office in Mumbai and at Nagpur Vidhan Bhavan, party offices in civic bodies… there is a Sena office in the BMC,” he added.
Sena (UBT) leader Anil Desai, who looks after the financial affairs of the Sena, however, said the EC order will not have a bearing on anything else apart from the party symbol. “The party’s poll symbol is the only property of the EC and it can decide on that. They have already decided on that. They cannot decide on party name and we are going to challenge it in the Supreme Court. There is nothing else on which the EC order will have a bearing,” he claimed.
The shakhas are the most crucial part of Sena’s organisational structure. They help mobilise local Sainiks considered the party’s footsoldiers. Majority of the shakhas are still controlled by the Thackeray-led Sena.
There are 227 shakhas in Mumbai and over 600 all over the MMR. During the elections, these shakhas play a vital role, becoming the hub of campaigning and mobilising voters. The party’s control over the shakhas and enjoying the loyalty of shakha pramukhs is crucial.
The shakhas also work as the ‘contact point’ for the Thackerays to reach out to workers to implement orders on the ground passed by the Sena Bhavan, the party’s headquarters.
While Shinde had managed to cause a vertical split in the Thackeray-led Sena, it was, however, not able to get a hold on the shakhas in Mumbai that have been instrumental in ensuring the Thackeray-led Sena’s political dominance in Mumbai.
“In Mumbai if we see, some of the shakhas are owned by old-time Sainiks and some by the party while some are in the name of Thackerays’ trust. Those in the party’s name, we can stake claim on them. Similar is the case with the Sena’s official bank accounts and funds in it. However, we are not thinking of staking claim over it as of now,” Pawaskar said.
Apart from the shakhas, unions and Lokadhikar Samitis are also considered to be the strength of the Sena, from which comes money and muscle power. The Shinde-led Sena will also try to take control of these unions and Lokadhikar Samitis.
Amid claims and counter-claims over the shakhas and other Sena offices, Shinde-led Sena’s chief spokesperson and minister Deepak Kesarkar said the 15 party MLAs and six MPs who are still with the Thackerays will have to follow the whip of the Shinde faction, failing which they can attract disciplinary action. “They have been elected on the Sena symbol and hence they will have to follow the party order. If not, they will face disciplinary action as well as disqualification,” Kesarkar said.
Sena (UBT) MLA Nitin Deshmukh, however, said for them Thackeray’s whip is the only whip they will follow.