Can Shinde stake claim on Shiv Sena’s strength — the network of shakhas?

Mumbai: After the Election Commission of India (ECI) awarded the name Shiv Sena and the ‘bow and arrow’ symbol to the Shinde-led faction, the new dispensation has set its eyes on the properties, purse, people and shakhas belonging to Shiv Sena (UBT), to establish absolute control. But, there is a hurdle in the form of Shivai Seva Trust, headed by Thackeray family loyalist Subhash Desai.

The trust owns a number of party offices, including the Dadar-based Sena headquarters -- Shiv Sena Bhavan. Following the ECI verdict, the Shinde camp will get possession of the party’s fund and offices in state legislature as well as municipal bodies allotted to the party.

In Shiv Sena, the network of shakhas or local offices in Mumbai and several parts of the state is the nerve centre of the party cadre. Shakhas also play a crucial role in engaging with people – the strength of its engagement has been built since the time the shakhas were envisioned by the late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. This connect is also Uddhav Thackeray’s pride, leaning on which he has been able to challenge the Shinde faction’s ambition for a complete takeover, since the split in 2022.

Shakha pramukhs field complaints from citizens ranging from harassment faced by women, corrupt government staffers, pleas for admissions in neighbourhood schools etc.

It is now for Shinde to take over this network and tame Thackeray. But there is an obstacle – the trust; probably reason why the Shinde faction has declared that it has no intention to take over the iconic office, although it had quietly started testing the waters after the split.

Apart from Desai, other trustees include veteran leaders Leeladhar Dake and Ravindra Mirlekar, former Mumbai mayor Vishakha Raut, south Mumbai MP Arwind Sawant and Uddhav Thackeray’s wife, Rashmi Thackeray. The trust operates from Shiv Sena Bhavan. Some years ago, the ownership of some shakhas came under the trust, at the behest of the party top brass.

“A few years ago, the party initiated the process to transfer the ownership of shakhas to Shivai Seva Trust. Some shakhas are attached with trust but it is not possible to share the exact number,” said Vishakha Raut.

“Shiv Sena as a party does not own any shakha. Few years back Shiv Sena started the procedure to transfer the ownership of shakhas to Shivai Seva Trust. Vibhag pramukh (divisional heads) and shakha pramukhs (shakha heads) were asked to submit the papers for the legal procedure. Of the 227 shakhas in Mumbai, less than 50 percent were transferred to the trust, as the perwork of the rest were still pending,” said a Shinde faction leader abreast of the developments at the time. Some local leaders who owned the premises of shakhas did not transfer the ownership and in some cases, there were issues related to insufficient documents. Several shakhas were in rented premises. “Due to the mixed ownership pattern, it will not be possible to claim these properties,” he added.

The Shinde camp is aware of this complexity and hence has not openly staked claim on Shiv Sena Bhavan.

In order to expand its base and visibility, it has started approaching local leaders and former corporators in Mumbai. “They approached me, asking me to work under the leadership of CM Shinde. They also asked me to replace the photographs of Uddhav and Aaditya Thackeray with that of CM Shinde and Anand Dighe,” said a local leader from south Mumbai.

Sheetal Mhatre, spokesperson for the Shinde camp said: “We have no intention to acquire the shakhas. Our fight was for the thoughts of Hindutva and the political legacy of Shiv Sena supremo, late Bal Thackeray, and ECI has allotted us the party name and symbol.”

Besides the properties in possession of the shakhas, Shiv Sena also runs its journal, ‘Saamna’, and a magazine, ‘Marmik’—both publications are not owned by the political party but a separate trust, Prabodhan Prakashan, which has a few Sena leaders such as Subhash Desai and members of the Thackeray family as its trustees and directors.

Now, for the party purse: It is mandatory for every political party to have a bank account to stock funds, used for various purposes, including election campaign. As they hold the name and symbol now, the funds must also be controlled by the Shinde camp. Party insiders said, the ruling faction will now change the signing authorities of the bank account and take possession of the funds. According to the available annual audit report of Shiv Sena for 2020-21, filed in February 2022 with Election Commissions, Shiv Sena received receipts of the ₹13,84,11,229 and spent ₹ 7,91,50,973.

Shinde camp also said they would be getting possession of offices allotted to Shiv Sena in state legislature as well as various municipal bodies.

Other frontal organisations

Other organisations in question are: Sthaniya Lokadhikar Samiti and Bhartiya Kamgar Sena. MP Rahul Shewale from Shinde camp said that these are the frontal organisations of Shiv Sena and “we will soon start discussions about them”. But, MLC Sachin Ahir from the Thackeray camp said that the organisations are not the wings of party but independent of it and registered separately. “Though it follows the ideology of Shiv Sena, Bhartiya Kamgar Sena is distinct as it is an employee union. So, CM Shinde can’t stake claim on the organisation and its properties, offices etc,” said Ahir, who is the general secretary of Bhartiya Kamgar Sena.