Political cracks widen amid Shivshakti alliance as MNS extends support to Eknath Shinde faction

A senior leader from the Uddhav Thackeray camp, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS had contested the civic polls together and had aggressively targeted the BJP and Shinde’s Shiv Sena during the campaign.

“If the MNS supports Shinde’s party after the elections, it sends the wrong political message,” the leader said. The MNS had won just one seat in the Nashik Municipal Corporation. On Friday, the party’s lone corporator is said to have extended support to Shinde’s Shiv Sena.

Old rivalries, new surprises

In 2022, Eknath Shinde engineered a split in the undivided Shiv Sena, directly challenging Uddhav Thackeray. Since then, the two factions have remained bitter rivals. The hostility has been so pronounced that Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut once remarked that for his party, Shinde’s Shiv Sena was no different from the AIMIM.

This makes the MNS move particularly striking, coming close on the heels of Raj and Uddhav Thackeray publicly burying their nearly two-decade-old differences in the name of Marathi pride and Maharashtra’s identity. During the civic poll campaign, both cousins shared the stage and jointly attacked the Mahayuti government, especially the BJP and Shinde’s Shiv Sena.

Pattern repeats

Before Nashik, the MNS had extended support to Shinde’s Shiv Sena in the KDMC, which delivered a hung verdict last month. In the 122-member house, Shinde’s Sena emerged as the largest party with 53 seats, followed by the BJP with 51.

With 62 seats required to form the civic government, support from smaller parties became decisive. The five MNS corporators backed Shinde’s Sena. At the time, MNS leaders said the decision was taken at the local level and should not be interpreted as the party’s official statewide policy.

Discontent within MNS ranks

It is not just the Shiv Sena (UBT) leadership that appears unhappy. Sections within the MNS are also reportedly upset with Uddhav Thackeray’s party, accusing it of not adequately supporting MNS candidates during the civic polls.

At a recent MNS meeting, workers allegedly complained to Raj Thackeray that Sena (UBT) did not extend the cooperation they had expected. Raj Thackeray, however, rejected the allegations and asked party workers to introspect instead of blaming allies for the party’s electoral performance.

Will MNS get a nominated seat in the BMC?

In the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the Sena (UBT) is likely to secure three nominated corporator seats based on its strength. Political observers say the MNS could seek one of these seats, citing its alliance with Uddhav Thackeray’s party during the civic polls. Whether Sena (UBT) will part with a nominated seat for Raj Thackeray’s party remains an open question.