Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Affirms Eknath Shinde Faction As True Shiv Sena, Boosting Chief Minister's Stance

On Wednesday, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar declared that the Eknath Shinde faction is recognized as the legitimate Shiv Sena, providing a significant boost to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The ruling emphasized that Uddhav Thackeray lacked the authority to remove Eknath Shinde as the leader of the Shiv Sena legislative party during the 2022 rebellion. The Speaker upheld the 1999 constitution of the party, documented by the Election Commission of India (ECI), as the "real constitution." According to this constitution, the concentration of power in the party chief's hands was eliminated. The Thackeray faction argues that the constitution was amended in 2018, restoring power to the party chief. However, the ECI asserts that the 2018 document was not submitted.

In light of this ruling, the Shinde-led faction is considered the authentic Shiv Sena political party that emerged during the 2022 factional dispute. The Speaker emphasized that the Shiv Sena chief does not have the authority to remove any leader from the party. This decision not only stabilizes the Shinde government, aligned with the BJP and a breakaway NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar but also grants the Shiv Sena an advantageous position in the lead-up to the crucial Assembly polls scheduled for November.

The only recourse for the Uddhav Thackeray faction is to approach the Supreme Court, as the Speaker's decision is subject to final approval from the court if challenged. This ruling comes as a setback for Uddhav Thackeray, especially during ongoing seat-sharing discussions with MVA allies NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) and Congress. Despite the setback, Thackeray may leverage public sympathy and portray himself as targeted in his efforts to confront the powerful BJP.

Despite the 2022 rebellion by Eknath Shinde and around 39 loyal MLAs, Uddhav Thackeray retains support from a majority of ground-level and shakha workers who remain loyal to him. The Shinde faction's victory is seen as a boost for Eknath Shinde's potential candidacy as the Chief Minister face in the upcoming Assembly polls. The Shinde faction's prominence during seat-sharing discussions is also underscored by this ruling. The Thackeray faction may need to rely on ground-level workers to rebuild the party ahead of the 2024 poll season.