In a show of strength in Eknath Shinde’s fortress, Shiv Sena UBT and MNS hold a joint rally in Thane

Amid the buzz of Thackeray cousins’ potential reunion, both parties, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), once again got together, this time to corner Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde in his fortress, Thane city in Maharashtra.

Both parties, along with Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), also joined the “Dhad Morcha (roar rally)“ in Thane to stage a protest against alleged corruption and mismanagement in the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC).

Before the split, the undivided Shiv Sena had a great influence in Thane city and the TMC. During that time, as well, Thane has been the home turf for Mr. Shinde; before him, it was his mentor, Anand Dighe. With the rally, the MNS and the Shiv Sena (UBT) established their dominance, and their leaders called out Shiv Sena ministers over the corruption allegations.

“Was this the ideology of Bal Thackeray and Anand Dighe?” asked Bhaskar Jadhav, Shiv Sena (UBT) group leader in the Assembly, slamming Shiv Sena ministers, including Sanjay Shirsat, over the “money bag controversy”.

“TMC is plagued by mismanagement and corruption. TMC is unable to pay the salaries of the employees and run the system. If the Mumbai civic body stayed with them, it would be destroyed. Mahayuti’s eye is on the deposit of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation [BMC],” said Mr. Jadhav during the protest in Thane.

He also appealed to all party leaders and functionaries to unite and fight under the banner of the MVA, saying, “Let the MVA sustain. If you have problems, discuss with higher-ups or vice versa, maintain the understanding.”

On Monday, the party cadres and leaders hit the streets of Thane, highlighting the civic issues, including traffic congestion, unauthorised constructions, incomplete projects and administrative apathy, mismanagement, rampant corruption, and neglect of basic infrastructure, in Thane, which is 30 km from Central Mumbai.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said, “We are fighting against the corruption and civic issues caused by mismanagement. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should also run the campaign for tackling crime and improving safety as he has been doing in Nashik.” Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Dipesh Mhatre criticised the government and told them to ask Thanekars, whether they are “benefiting from any of these big-ticket projects”.

During the protest, NCP-SP leader and MLA Jitendra Awhad, citing the corruption allegations of BJP MLA Sanjay Kelkar in TMC, suggested that Mr. Fadnavis should at least pay attention to the allegations of his own party leaders.

The leaders, who joined the rally, were Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders, former MP Rajan Vichare, MLA Bhaskar Jadhav, and Dipesh Mhatre, MNS’s Avinash Jadhav, and Abhijit Panse.

In Thane, no elections have been held since 2017. After the five-year tenure was over, the administrator was appointed for the operations of the TMC. This protest was on the lines of Nashik district, where MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) came together.