Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray is planning to visit every Shiv Sena Shakha in Mumbai soon. The former chief minister made the announcement on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of Shiv Sena founder late Balasaheb Thackeray's birth anniversary.
Thackeray said that he plans to visit all Shakhas and not just those where the Shiv Sena candidate won in the BMC elections. Shiv Sena has won 65 seats in the BMC election, and Thackeray called it a rejuvenation moment for the party. "Shiv Sena is a vision and nobody will be able to erase it," said Uddhav Thackeray.
He also said that the BJP-led MahaYuti could win only 118 seats because of the efforts taken by Shiv Sainiks to find out bogus voters before the elections. Efforts were made to destroy Balasaheb's Shiv Sena, but people have answered through their votes. The old leaves which were infected have been removed and new leaves will blossom and replace the old ones, said Uddhav, stressing that he also plans to visit Shiv Sena Shakhas where his candidates lost in order to make a fresh start.
Meanwhile, unrest has started brewing in Shiv Sena (UBT) after former mayor Kishori Pednekar was reappointed as the Shiv Sena (UBT) group leader in the BMC. The objections against her were mainly related to the mismanagement of BMC affairs during the Covid pandemic, after which she had faced corruption allegations. Another angle to the unrest is about the fact that Pednekar's ward is part of Aaditya Thackeray's Worli constituency. There have been other seniors like Pednekar who have been re-elected, but they have been ignored. "Why should all the positions go to the Worli constituency?" is the question being asked.
Referring to the BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Sena, Uddhav said that he is not answerable to those who keep raising the question, "What did Shiv Sena do in the last so many years?" They must remember that they would not have been able to enjoy power in the BMC and Mantralaya had Shiv Sena not been there. "It is okay to die, but we will not be enslaved by two merchants who have used our people to attack us," he said, without naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.