The rebellion by Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde recently, with 40 Members of the Legislative Assembly, against Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and his Maha Vikas Aghadi government, and Mr. Shinde’s success, subsequently, in getting hold of the chief ministerial position in Maharashtra with the help of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is an event that has created a huge storm in Maharashtra’s political landscape. It is clear that the magnitude of the rebellion is the biggest the Shiv Sena has ever seen since its inception in 1966.
The vertical split in the party is much bigger in comparison with what happened when the former party leaders, Chhagan Bhujbal, Narayan Rane and Raj Thackeray, left in the past. This time it does not seem to be the result of mere internal skirmishes. It has raised questions about the strength and the appeal of the Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray, with doubts being raised about his leadership and the party’s style of functioning ever since he took over the party’s reins. Interestingly, it has also happened at a time when the Shiv Sena was in power (unlike the previous rebellions), which indicates the gravity of discontent among party leaders.
