Uddhav Thackeray. File photo
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of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray The upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections will be a fight against betrayal and a fight to protect the self-respect of Maharashtra, the state’s Speaker on Tuesday said, news agency PTI reported.
Uddhav Thackeray was addressing party workers on the occasion of the formal joining of Pune-based political leader Vasant More, who was earlier with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), into the Shiv Sena (UBT), PTI reported.
Vasant More ran unsuccessfully for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Pune constituency in Maharashtra as a Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) candidate. BJP’s Murlidhar Mohol defeated Indian National Congress candidate Rabindra Dangekar in the constituency.
Uddhav Thackeray said Pune city should now be the centre of power transfer in the state.
He said the Lok Sabha elections were a fight to protect the Constitution, adding, “The state assembly elections will be a fight against betrayal and helplessness.”
“Maharashtra’s fight is to protect its self-respect,” the former chief minister said.
He said that the split that occurred two years ago within the undivided Shiv Sena party Eknath ShindeHe later became prime minister.
The Maharashtra Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in October this year.
Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackeray spoke about the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections and said that the defeat of party candidates in Aurangabad, Raigad and Ratnagiri Sindhudurg was a big blow.
He urged party workers to ask voters why their party candidate Chandrakant Khaire lost in Aurangabad constituency.
Uddhav Thackeray said Shiv Sena leader Sandipan Bhumle won in Aurangabad because he stole the party’s name and symbol.
The former prime minister admitted that the “burning torch” symbol of the Shiv Sena (UBT), which it acquired after the split, did not effectively reach out to the people in the Indian Lok Sabha elections.
Shinde hit back, saying people voted for the Shiv Sena because the party had abandoned the ideals of its founder Bal Thackeray and that Thackeray should stop “whining”.
“For how long will you continue to whine? People voted for us because he (Thackeray) had abandoned Balasaheb’s ideals. We contested 13 seats against them and won seven,” he said.
“Their (Shiv Sena-UBT) strike is 42 per cent and ours is 47 per cent,” Shinde said.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) contested 21 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra and won 9, while the Sena led by Shinde contested 15 seats and won 7. The two parties went head-to-head on 13 seats, with the Shiv Sena winning 7.
Shinde asserted that the Lok Sabha results showed that people voted for their party, adding, “The state assembly polls will make it clearer which party is the true Shiv Sena.”
Speaking at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Thackeray said the state assembly elections, likely to be held in October-November, would be a battle for Maharashtra’s self-respect.
(with PTI input)
