Drawn by Hindutva, women’s rights, Neelam Gorhe switches to Shiv Sena

MUMBAI: Senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and deputy chairperson of the legislative council Neelam Gorhe joined the Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Friday. She is the third MLC to make the switch to the Shinde-led Sena. She follows Viplav Bajaria who had moved during the budget session this year and Manisha Kayande who joined the Shinde camp last month.

The announcement was made soon after the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting of the legislative council, in which a pending no trust-motion moved against her by Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Pravin Darekar during the budget session earlier this year, was withdrawn. Addressing a press conference along with Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Gorhe said, “I have decided to join the Shiv Sena for issues related to women and development of the country.” She said she was drawn to the party for its adherence to “Hindutva and working for the cause of Marathi manoos”.

After split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Gorhe’s defection, the ruling alliance will now be in position to control the upper house of the state legislature, where the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) had advantage until now. Of the 78 members in the house, the ruling alliance now has 30 while MVA has 21.

Gorhe became the deputy chairperson of the legislative council in June 2019; thereafter she carried out the duties of the chairperson as the post was vacant after the end of the tenure of NCP’s Ramraje Nimbalkar in July 2022.

Speculations of her move were rife even as the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP combine was planning to elect a chairperson. Gorhe was also reportedly displeased with the prominence gained by newbie Sushma Andhare in the Thackeray faction. Andhare, deputy leader, has been pulling crowds with fiery speeches, especially after Sena split. Asked to comment about her rising fame, Gorhe said she does not give importance to “sundry people”.

A socialist and women’s rights activist, Gorhe joined the Republican Party of India (RPI) in the early ’90s and switched to Shiv Sena in 1998. She was first appointed an MLC by Uddhav Thackeray in 2002 and re-nominated by the party to the upper house thrice. She was also appointed spokesperson for the party and elevated to the post of deputy leader in 2011. Her defection is a setback for the Thackeray faction.

On Friday, she said that the union government was working on the path shown by the Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray. “I am supporting them as the present state government thinks on the same lines. I am on a constitutional post and will work within the framework of this post,” Gorhe said, thanking the Thackeray family as she exited Uddhav’s faction.

Chief minister Eknath Shinde said, “Gorhe will be able to work freely with all her heart for women. She is not defecting anywhere but is joining the original Sena.” Fadnavis said, “I personally wanted to remain present for the induction and welcome her into the alliance. She has taken a rational decision.”

Reacting to Gorhe’s defection, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said: “We made her legislator five times. She was made deputy chairperson (of legislative council) and our party gave her important positions. What else does she want? The definition of word injustice must be changed.”