Another blow for Uddhav Thackeray ahead of BMC elections?

Tribune News Service

Vibha Sharma

New Delhi, July 31

An embattled Uddhav Thackeray today termed the Enforcement Directorate’s action against Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut a “shameless conspiracy” and “blatant muzzling of voices”.

The former Maharashtra Chief Minister was addressing party leaders and cadres at his residence ‘Matoshree’, while the ED was conducting searches at Raut’s house.

“The Shiv Sena gives strength to Hindus and Marathi people and, hence, there is a conspiracy to finish off the party,” Thackeray said a day after the faction led by him got some unexpected ammunition against the rivals (the BJP and Shinde camp) in the upcoming high-stakes elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) — a make-or-break poll for his political future — courtesy Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s comment favouring “Gujaratis and Rajasthanis”.

While a defiant Raut called the ED action a “witch-hunt” and an “attempt to weaken the real Shiv Sena”, supporters linked the questioning to Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde’s Delhi visit yesterday.

Observers say there is bound to be worries over perceptions created by the optics today.

Trashing allegations levelled by the Thackeray side, a spokesperson for the Shinde camp, Deepak Kesarkar, said the CM and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis’ visit was related to the upcoming Cabinet expansion in Maharashtra. He said rebels “never demanded action against Raut”.

Reeling under the rebellion and the fall of the MVA government led by Thackeray, his camp got an unexpected lease of life following Koshyari’s “praise” for Gujaratis and Rajasthanis and “belittling” of the contribution of Marathi Manoos in the development of Maharashtra.

In meetings with cadre, Thackeray has made winning the BMC elections his priority.

The BMC elections will be the real test of Thackeray’s grassroots support in the Sena bastion and are crucial for his political future, say observers.

Though many of his MLAs and MPs are with the Shinde camp, supporters claim Thackeray has complete support from ‘shakhas’ and corporators — the “key to the BMC”.

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