MUMBAI: In a fresh and major setback for Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, CM Eknath Shinde’s faction on Tuesday appointed a new national executive of the party, anointing Shinde as chief leader, a newly-created post, and naming leaders and deputy leaders, though the post of Sena president held by Uddhav was left untouched.
The Shinde faction claimed that the old executive, which featured Aaditya Thackeray, Sanjay Raut and Subhash Desai among others – and whose names have been left out by the Shinde group – stood dissolved.
A Shinde faction leader said the group may move the Election Commission on Tuesday with resolutions passed by the “new national executive” to claim that the rebel faction is in fact the real Shiv Sena. The Shinde faction’s national executive met at a hotel in south Mumbai on Monday afternoon.
As purportedly the party’s new top decision-making body, the national executive appointed rebel MLA Deepak Kesarkar as party spokesperson, former minister Ramdas Kadam (who quit as leader and was expelled from the party by the Uddhav camp on Monday) and ex-MP Anandrao Adsul as leaders, and ex-BMC corporator Yashwant Jadhav, ex-ministers Gulabrao Patil and Uday Samant, and Sharad Ponkshe, MLA Tanaji Sawant, Vijay Nahata and ex-MP Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil as deputy leaders. All the new appointees are Sena rebels who joined the Shinde faction and have been sacked by the Uddhav-led Sena.
Sena MP Sanjay Raut claimed there was “no legal validity” to the national executive formed by Shinde. “They just played out ‘Comedy Express’ Season 2. Season 1 was played out in Mumbai in the state legislature. The people are laughing. This is Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, and the party president is Uddhav Thackeray,” he said.
Kesarkar said that CM Shinde was the chief leader of the party and had all the rights to appoint members to the national executive.
The Shinde faction claimed that the old executive, which featured Aaditya Thackeray, Sanjay Raut and Subhash Desai among others – and whose names have been left out by the Shinde group – stood dissolved.
A Shinde faction leader said the group may move the Election Commission on Tuesday with resolutions passed by the “new national executive” to claim that the rebel faction is in fact the real Shiv Sena. The Shinde faction’s national executive met at a hotel in south Mumbai on Monday afternoon.
As purportedly the party’s new top decision-making body, the national executive appointed rebel MLA Deepak Kesarkar as party spokesperson, former minister Ramdas Kadam (who quit as leader and was expelled from the party by the Uddhav camp on Monday) and ex-MP Anandrao Adsul as leaders, and ex-BMC corporator Yashwant Jadhav, ex-ministers Gulabrao Patil and Uday Samant, and Sharad Ponkshe, MLA Tanaji Sawant, Vijay Nahata and ex-MP Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil as deputy leaders. All the new appointees are Sena rebels who joined the Shinde faction and have been sacked by the Uddhav-led Sena.
Sena MP Sanjay Raut claimed there was “no legal validity” to the national executive formed by Shinde. “They just played out ‘Comedy Express’ Season 2. Season 1 was played out in Mumbai in the state legislature. The people are laughing. This is Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, and the party president is Uddhav Thackeray,” he said.
Kesarkar said that CM Shinde was the chief leader of the party and had all the rights to appoint members to the national executive.
