"You vs Me In Maharashtra": Uddhav Thackeray's Challenge For PM Modi

The Sena Versus Sena battle heated up on the occasion of the Shiv Sena foundation day as Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde held parallel programmes in two parts of Mumbai. And from Sion's Shanmukhanand Hall, Uddhav Thackeray, powered by the people's support issued an open challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Modi-ji I invite you to start campaign for assembly election in Maharashtra... it will be you versus me," he said, pointing to the election due by year-end.

"My message to the BJP -- try winning an election without using my original symbol. I am proud that we did not use anyone else's picture. We will never use either, especially of PM Modi. I challenge PM Modi to start preparations today - keeping this fake Shiv Sena away," he added.

Mr Thackeray also rubbished speculation about the two Sena factions joining hands and remaining in the NDA fold. He would never go with those who tried to "finish off" his party, Mr Thackeray said.

Though the rebel faction led by Eknath Shinde was awarded the name and election symbol of the undivided Shiv Sena by the Election Commission, the voters had decisively settled the legacy issue. And they did not agree with the poll body.

The Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena won nine seats and the Shinde faction one. A similar outcome was seen for the other party that split -- the Nationalist Congress Party. The Sharad Pawar faction won eight seats, the faction led by his nephew Ajit Pawar -- which also got the name and party symbol from the Election Commission -- only one.

Ally Congress won 13 seats.

The people's disapproval of the political upheaval in the state extended to the BJP, which, Mr Shinde once let slip, had engineered the Sena split. The party's score was cut down to nine seats, down from 23 seats of 2019 .

But Chief Minister Eknath Shinde remained determined to push the point he has based his rebellion on -- that Mr Thackeray had strayed from the ideology set down by Sena founder and his father Balasaheb Thackeray.

"Where has your Hindutva gone? You have no right to seek votes in Balasaheb Thackeray's name," he said at a massive rally in Worli's NSCI dome.  "Even a small kid will tell you that the Shiv Sena UBT won because of the Congress' vote bank. Those who left Bal Thackeray's thoughts for position, lost in the election. Bal Thackeray always talked against the Congress," he added.

But Mr Thackeray had already covered the point.
 
"We got votes of all patriots, people of all religions. They said we left Hindutva, because we went with Congress. I did not leave Hindutva. If everyone voted for us to save the country and the constitution, then people are with us. It shows the BJP is the one that left Hindutva," Mr Thackeray said.

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