After party name and symbol, Shinde now eyes Shiv Sena 'shakhas'

The fight for 'shakhas' between Thackeray and Shinde is set to gain momentum in coming days

After getting hold of the Shiv Sena party name and the iconic 'bow and arrow' symbol, Maharashtra CM Ekanth Shinde is now eyeing party shakhas (local party offices), which are considered integral to the party’s organisational structure since its inception.

Shinde has clarified that he will not claim ownership of Shiv Sena Bhawan, the party’s head office in Dadar. However, the fight for shakhas between the two warring factions will gain momentum in the coming days, as per a report in The Times of India.

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Expressing confidence about taking possession of shakhas, Shinde faction’s leaders repeatedly said that shakha pramukhs (head of offices) will back CM Shinde from now and replace Uddhav and Aditya’s photos with that of Eknath Shinde, Bal Thackeray and Anand Dighe.

Refuting these claims made by the Shinde faction, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said, "Shiv Sena Bhavan and our shakhas will not be taken over by the Shinde faction just because of the EC's order. Our Shiv Sainiks will sit there and that place will serve as a branch of Shiv Sena. The party is not going anywhere because a few people sitting on the chair made a decision. Sena shakhas, including Shiv Sena Bhavan, will stay with us".

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Mumbai, which is considered a Sena’s stronghold, has 227 shakhas and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has over 500. They are mostly owned by the shakha pramukhs, local leaders and trusts.

So far, only a few shakha pramukhs have left the Uddhav camp. Last year, the Shinde group opened its first shakha in Mumbai, which was inaugurated by Sena MP Rahul Shewale. During the event, the MP had said that the Shinde Sena would soon open shakhas all over Mumbai, but six months later, the lone Mumbai shakha of the Shinde faction remains.

Along with the legal battle in the Supreme Court, Shinde and Thackeray supporters are fighting a battle on the streets to prove their dominance. Though the symbol and party belong to Shinde, voters’ preference between these two will determine who owns the 'real' Shiv Sena.