NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday claimed some of the leaders in the BJP wished to have an alliance with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, an assertion that CM Devendra Fadnavis outrightly dismissed.
Raut also said that even some members of his party might share the sentiment. He, however, clarified that no such discussion had taken place within Sena (UBT).
“There might be. We went with the MVA because of some leaders in the BJP. You split our party and gave what we were rightfully demanding to Eknath Shinde,” Raut said when asked if members of the Shiv Sena (UBT) also had a similar desire.
Sanjay Raut’s statement came after Thackeray’s aide and member of the legislative council Milind Narvekar and BJP minister Chandrakant Patil had a few jovial exchanges in the presence of the Sena (UBT) chief at the wedding reception of MLA Parag Alavani’s daughter on Wednesday night.
Refuting any such possibilities, Fadnavis told news agency PTI in Delhi: “No one should be naive enough to think that just because people meet at a wedding (reception), an alliance is formed or parties come closer.”
Those who attended the reception hosted by Alavani said Narvekar joked with Patil, “It’s good that journalists are not here…otherwise, they would say alliance talks are on.” Patil quipped, “It would be a golden moment,” reported news agency PTI.
“Patil belongs to the older generation of BJP who understands the significance of Shiv Sena-BJP ties. It worked well for 25 years,” said Raut.
Raut said many in the BJP share Patil’s “golden moment” sentiments.
“I doubt how long Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena will stay with the BJP. We are in a wait-and-watch mode,” he said.
Vertical Shiv Sena split
In 2022, the Shiv Sena, which was the largest party in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), saw a vertical split when Eknath Shinde and 39 other MLAs revolted against chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and joined hands with BJP.
The defection of a majority of Sena MLAs led to the collapse of the MVA government, prompting Uddhav to resign as CM. Shinde then formed a Shiv Sena-BJP government with former CM Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy.
Several political leaders credited Fadnavis for engineering the split in Shiv Sena. The BJP leader himself admitted to playing a key role in the Shinde-led revolt, calling it “an act of revenge”.
Later, assembly speaker and BJP leader Rahul Narwekar held that the faction led by Shinde was the “real Shiv Sena” when it emerged on June 21, 2022. He also declared the appointments of legislator Bharat Gogawale as the Shiv Sena whip and Shinde as the party leader valid.
The undivided Shiv Sena and BJP were partners for 25 years till the parties fell apart after the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections over the CM post. Then Sena chief Thackeray subsequently joined hands with Congress and NCP to become the CM under the banner of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
