Rebellion in Thackeray stronghold, Uddhav steps in

Mumbai : Two days after the Shiv Sena (UTB) released its first list of candidates for the assembly elections, party chief Uddhav Thackeray had to step in to quell an embarrassing rebellion in a Mumbai constituency, where a hopeful had been denied a ticket to contest.

In the Shivadi constituency, Sudhir Salvi led a small army of rebels to protest the party’s decision to re-nominate Ajay Choudhuri. On Friday morning, a poster began to circulate on social media, stating, ‘Mala Tumchyashi Bolayache Aahe’ (I want to speak with you). In the evening, more than 2,500 supporters turned up at Lalbaug to meet him. The situation became potentially embarrassing for the party, threatening to ruin its electoral prospects in its stronghold.

Eventually, Uddhav Thackeray summoned Salvi to his residence, Matoshree, for a meeting. After they met, Salvi emerged a changed man. “I met party chief Uddhav Thackeray. He told me he would not disappoint me. I was loyal to the party yesterday, I am loyal to the party today, and I will remain loyal to the party tomorrow. Loyalty is most important,” Salvi, told his supporters in Lalbaug.

In an emotional speech, Salvi indicated that he was unwillingly withdrawing from the electoral race with a heavy heart. “I started to work for the party in the 1990s. Considering the public opinion, I had requested a ticket from the Shivadi assembly constituency but the party took a different decision. I know I am the MLA in your mind. But loyalty to the party is more important. So I have decided to remain loyal to the party and will continue to work for you,” he said.

While there were rumours on Friday morning that Salvi may contest from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena or as an independent, his meeting with Thackeray laid all speculation to rest.

The Sena (UBT) on Wednesday declared its first list comprising 65 candidates; it featured all its sitting MLAs except Ajay Choudhari, who has also been group leader of the party in the assembly since June 2022, when the Sena split. Later, on Thursday, Thackeray renominated Choudhari as he had remained loyal despite the split.

Choudhari represents Shivadi constituency, which covers ‘Girangaon’, once the textile hub of Mumbai. It is a bastion of the Marathi manoos and still has a sizeable population of mill worker families, making the Shivadi constituency special to the Sena (UBT) and politically significant as well.

After the Ganesh festival, there were reports that Salvi, who is also a trustee of the Lalbaughcha Raja trust, may get a ticket from the Sena (UBT). Being a trustee, Salvi had worked with Anant Ambani, son of industrialist Mukesh Ambani. Anant was recently been appointed as an executive advisor to the Lalbaugcha Raja Committee.

In Dombivali, another disgruntled loyalist, Sadanand Tharwal, the former Kalyan district chief of the Sena (UBT), resigned from the party to protest being denied a ticket. The party has fielded Dipesh Mhatre, who joined the Eknath Shinde-led Sena after the Shiv Sena split in 2022. However, Mhatre switched to the Sena (UBT) to secure an assembly ticket. The reason Mhatre had to swap sides is that Dombivali is traditionally a BJP seat in the Mahayuti alliance, of which the Shinde-led Sena is a part.