BJP to check Eknath Shinde on home turf of Thane

MUMBAI: A resurgent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), emboldened by its sweeping victory in the recent assembly elections, is determined to expand its dominance – even at the expense of its allies. The party will make its first move by stomping all over the turf of deputy chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde.

Although Shinde is guardian minister of Thane, BJP minister Ganesh Naik, who is guardian minister of neighbouring Palghar district, will hold a Janata Darbar in Thane. Naik, who hails from Navi Mumbai and is also state forest minister, said he will be holding a Janata Darbar in Thane city every three months, where citizens can meet him and present their grievances. “Although I am guardian minister of Palghar, I will also hold a Janata Darbar in Thane,” Naik said on Tuesday.

The BJP has not forgotten Shinde’s big sulk after the assembly elections. More recently, Shinde raised strong objections to the appointment of guardian ministers in some districts in the state. Now, Naik’s move is undeniably aimed at challenging Shinde’s authority on his home ground. Adding insult to injury, Naik made his announcement on the sidelines of a BJP event in Kopri – right in the heart of Shinde’s assembly constituency. The move is bound to intensify the political rivalry between the two former colleagues from the undivided Shiv Sena.

The BJP and Sena are allies in the Mahayuti government but, speaking at the event on Tuesday, Naik went a step further and made a case for the BJP winning the Thane civic polls on its own. “If Thane wants to be better, there should be only the lotus (BJP’s election symbol) here,” he remarked.

Naik’s announcement has not gone down well with the Sena. Party leader and state tourism minister Shambhuraj Desai called Naik’s decision a deliberate move. Hitting back, the Sena’s Thane MP Naresh Mhaske declared that his party’s ministers would now hold Janata Darbars in Palghar. “Naik should not jeopardise ties between the two parties,” he cautioned.

State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule supported Naik, saying the BJP is appointing its ministers to reach out to people in districts where the party doesn’t have its guardian ministers. “A minister belongs to entire Maharashtra and can hold a function to meet the people anywhere in the state. We are deputing our ministers as Sampark Mantris in districts whose guardian ministers are from our allies. They will reach out to people and solve their problems. Ultimately, it will benefit the people,” he told the media.

Naik’s announcement comes at a time when the relationship between the BJP and Shinde has soured over the issue of appointing guardian ministers. Following objections raised by Shinde, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has put on hold the appointment of NCP’s Aditi Tatkare and BJP’s Girish Mahajan as guardian ministers of Raigad and Nashik, respectively.

The Shinde camp sees Naik’s move as the BJP’s bid to challenge his dominance on his home turf. As chief minister, Shinde had tightened his grip on Thane district by appointing officers of his choice in key positions, a move that frequently frustrated the BJP. Now, the BJP is seizing the moment to expand its presence in Thane.

“The BJP believes the Mahayuti’s victory in the assembly elections was due largely to the party’s campaign. The party also believes that its allies, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, benefitted from this and were able to win more seats as partners in the coalition than they would have on their own,” said a senior BJP minister. “The party has a long-term plan to win Maharashtra on its own. That’s why it is trying to increase its strength wherever possible in the state,” he said.

Naik, Shinde have a history

In the ’90s, the politics of Thane district was controlled by then Thane district Shiv Sena chief Anand Dighe. Following his death, Naik who quit the Sena in 1998 and later became an NCP minister, was also gaurdian minister of the district three times.

Since 2017-18, Shinde emerged as a prominent leader in the district and has been guardian minister of Thane almost continuously since. Thane city has remained his bastion and he has been controlling the Thane civic body for over two decades.

Shinde and Naik have remained political rivals. In the last Lok Sabha elections, Naik was keen to field his son Sanjeev, a former Thane MP, on a BJP ticket. Shinde, however, bargained hard with the BJP and retained the seat for the Sena. His close aide Naresh Mhaske was elected from the Thane Lok Sabha constituency. Shinde also inducted Naik’s sworn rivals in Navi Mumbai such as Vijay Chaugule into his party. He also sent his leaders to campaign for Manda Mhatre opposite Naik’s son.

Significantly, Naik was not exactly in the good books of the BJP leadership. In fact, his son Sandeep joined the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and contested the assembly elections opposite sitting BJP MLA Manda Mhatre. However, post the election, as the Mahayuti returned to power, the BJP sprung a surprise by inducting Naik in the state cabinet. This was seen as a clear message that it wanted to challenge Shinde in his bastion. Naik’s latest move now confirms this.