Maharashtra Assembly Polls 2024: As campaigning end, Uddhav, Shinde fire fresh salvos at each other

Mumbai: As the campaign drew to a close, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde fired salvos at each other ahead of polls which would decide who controls the real Shiv Sena founded by late Balasaheb Thackeray 58 years ago.

Uddhav, who is now the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief, said that he is the flaming torch of Balasaheb.

“My party was stolen…the name (Shiv Sena) was stolen…the stole our (bow and arrow) symbol…now they have stolen the photo of Balasaheb,” said Uddhav, a former Maharashtra chief minister, whose Maha Vikas Aghadi government was toppled by Shinde, who now heads the Maha Yuti government. 

“You know how this government was stolen…it has been two-and-a-half-years, I have been waiting for justice…justice delayed is justice denied,” he said. “They stole everything but they could not steal your blessings and love,” he said. 

“We are carrying forward the legacy of Balasaheb,” said Shinde, who is now the chief leader of the Shiv Sena. 

“We are Balasaheb's soldiers. We were in power. Why did we have to revolt even though we were ministers? This will be the first time that ministers in power have come out. The reason for this has been stated many times before. If it was not so, I would not have been able to remain as Chief Minister even for a day,” he said.

Raj attacks Uddhav 

On the other hand, Maharashtra  Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray, who is the estranged cousin of Uddhav, equated the latter as “gaddar” to put the party in a mess. “He is a self-centered person….he has put the party (Shiv Sena) in a mess…the gaddar is in the house itself,” Raj said. 

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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