What is the next step for Uddhav Thackeray after the withdrawal of the Maharashtra? – Firstpost

The recent elections of the Maharashtra Assembly placed Uddhav Thackeray and its Shiv Sena faction (UBT) at a crossroads.

Thackeray is now faced with the intimidating challenge, to continue the heritage of his father, Bal Thackeray and reaffirms his political relevance after the lamentable performance of his faction.

The SHIV Sena (UBT), under the direction of Thackeray, managed to win only 20 of the 94 seats which he disputed during the elections of the Assembly of the Maharashtra. In striking contrast, Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, has become stronger, obtaining 57 of the 85 seats it disputed. This marked a decisive victory in the current battle between the two factions on which the “real Shiv Sena” represents.

For Uddhav, electoral defeat has been a continuation of the setbacks since the 2022 split within Shiv Sena, who saw Shinde move away with the majority of party legislators. These elections served as a decisive test for the two factions, and the results eroded Thackeray’s claim to the political heritage and the ideology of his father.

Thackeray asked how the electorate, which rejected the alliance led by the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections only five months ago, now supports them in the polls of the Assembly.

A silver lining for UBT

Despite the poor overall performance, the Thackeray faction maintained its domination in Mumbai, winning 10 out of its 20 seats in total. In at least eight constituencies, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) played a central role in the victories of the UBT faction by dividing votes which could have gone to Shiv Sena de Shinde.

The MNS of Raj Thackeray, although not having won seats, considerably influenced the results of the key districts by dividing the votes.

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Just in Mumbai, the MNS voting share played a decisive role in the guarantee of victories for the UBT in seats closely disputed like Versova, Vandre East and Kalina. However, this dependence on external factors highlights the decrease in the autonomous force of the Thackeray faction.

The BJP, meanwhile, demonstrated its domination by winning 132 out of 149 seats, with the NCP of Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawar obtaining 57 and 41 seats respectively.

What is the following for Uddhav Thackeray?

One of the immediate Thackeray challenges is to prevent new defections from his faction. The election results have strengthened the pretension of the Shinde faction to be the legitimate heirs of the heritage Shiv Sena, which makes him more difficult to maintain loyalty among the party leaders and the workers of the base.

Despite its acclaimed management of the cocovated pandemic during its mandate as chief minister, Uddhav’s decision to ally with ideological rivals – Congress and PCN – has alienated a section of its base D ‘traditional voters. Eknath Shinde and his supporters accused Uddhav of betraying the principles of Thackeray ball for the political opportunity.

To resume relevance, UDDHAV must reconnect with its main voter base and consolidate its position within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, which has also suffered in the elections. The Congress won only 16 seats and the Sharad Pawar NCP faction only succeeded.

With the MVA securing the seats well below the majority, Uddhav faces a difficult battle to remain a key actor in Maharashtra politics. That he can rebuild his party and recover his father’s inheritance remains to be seen.

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With agency entries