Shiv Sena (UBT) plans grand convention on Balasaheb’s birth anniversary

Mumbai: Coinciding with the birth anniversary of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray on January 23, the Shiv Sena (UBT) is planning a grand convention and public rally in Nashik, the pilgrimage town of Maharashtra - during which the saffron party will sound the bugle for the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls.

The open convention and public rally at the Hutatma Anant Kanhere Maidan will be addressed by the top leadership including former Maharashtra CM and Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray .

Over the weekend, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut was in Nashik for the preparations.

“On January 23, 2024, we will hold a ‘maha-shibir and ‘khula-adhiveshan’,” Raut told reporters. “Senior party leaders including Mumbai South Lok Sabha MP Arvind Sawant and Rajya Sabha MP will also be attending the convention,” he said.

Balasaheb (January 23, 1926–November 17, 2012) was one among the legendary Hindutva leaders and had played a major role in the Ram Janmabhoomi Andolan along with the RSS, the Sangh Parivar and BJP. Balasaheb was very close to BJP leaders - late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani.

The Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Nashik congregation rally coincides with the January 22 consecration ceremony of the grand temple of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya.

For Uddhav, resurrecting the party which is impacted by the June 2022 split, is a major task in view of the fact that 2024 would see the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls and also the polls to civic bodies of the state which include that of all the major cities including Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur and Amravati.

The SS (UBT) has an alliance with Congress and Sharad Pawar-Supriya Sule-led NCP group in Maharashtra which is known as the Maha Vikas Party even as Uddhav is one of the key leaders of the opposition I.N.D.I.A alliance.

The undivided Shiv Sena has won 18 seats in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls - which it fought in alliance with the BJP.

After the 2019 Vidhan Sabha polls, the nearly 30-year-old saffron alliance involving BJP and Shiv Sena broke and in two and a half years, the split happened with senior leader Eknath Shinde becoming the Chief Minister after joining the NDA camp.