Who is Eknath Shinde? How has a Shiv Sena minister brought the MVA government to its knees?

*Paromita Das

All eyes in Maharashtra are on senior Shiv Sena leader EknathShinde, a day after the Shiv Sena suffered a setback in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections.

Shinde is not in Mumbai, but communication has been established with him, according to party MP Sanjay Raut, who went incommunicado with some Shiv Sena MLAs.

Shinde was camping with some Sena MLAs at a hotel in Surat, Gujarat, according to sources.

According to The Times of India, the following MLAs are believed to be supporting Shinde, who is 58 years old:

List of MLAs believed to be supporting #EknathShinde #ShivSena #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/kOTDjXtq1h

— TOI Mumbai (@TOIMumbai) June 21, 2022

 

Let’s take a closer look at Shinde and how he has pushed the Shiv Sena to the brink and cast doubt on the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, which also includes the NCP and the Congress:

Who is Eknath Shinde’s?

Shinde is a popular figure who has helped strengthen the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, particularly in Thane.

According to Indian Express, the Shinde family is from Satara district and moved to Thane in the 1970s when Shinde was a child.

Shinde worked in a brewery and drove an auto rickshaw to make ends meet before rising to become Shiv Sena’s most powerful leader outside of the Thackerays.
Shinde joined the Shiv Sena in the 1980s after being influenced by Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and Sena’s Thane District Chief AnandDighe while working odd jobs.

Shinde became close to then-Thane district Sena president AnandDighe, who ruled the local unit with an iron fist and was instrumental in establishing the Shiv Sena as a powerful force in the region. According to the report, because Shindemodeled his appearance after his mentor, Dighe had rewarded his loyalty by helping him win a seat in the Thane Municipal Corporation in 1997.

Many party MLAs admire him for being accessible – especially when getting an appointment at Matoshree can be difficult – and for being generous with financial resources.
He has been in charge of the Sena’s major political events.

Shrikant, his son, is a Member of Parliament for the Sena from Kalyan.

Shinde has been elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly four times in a row: in 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019.

Shinde, like his mentor Dighe, is a man of few words who isn’t known for his oratorial prowess. He has an agitational and belligerent style of functioning, as well as a deep loyalty to the Sena, which has helped him rise through the ranks of the party.

After the Shiv Sena and the BJP fell out in 2014, he was named Leader of the Opposition.

Shinde was appointed cabinet minister for Urban Development and Public Works when the MahaVikasAghadi government was formed (Public Undertakings). Currently, he serves as the Minister of Urban Affairs.

He recently traveled to Ayodhya with Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray.

Why is he upset?

Shinde is upset with the Sena leadership because he believes he has been marginalised.

The Shiv Sena’s decision to ignore his suggestion that the party contest the Thane Municipal Corporation elections alone may have been the final straw, according to Shiv Sena sources. According to the newspaper report, Shinde, who was categorically told that the party would contest in alliance with the NCP and Congress, was reportedly offended by both the content and the manner of communication via leaders such as Sanjay Raut.

Shinde, who is in charge of the department of urban development, has expressed interest in becoming deputy chief minister, according to a Congress minister who spoke on the condition of anonymity to PTI.

“For nearly a week, there was an upheaval in the Shiv Sena,” the leader said. According to the newspaper report, Shinde, who was categorically told that the party would contest in alliance with the NCP and Congress, was reportedly offended by both the content and the manner of communication via leaders such as Sanjay Raut.

Shinde, who is in charge of the department of urban development, has expressed interest in becoming deputy chief minister, according to a Congress minister who spoke on the condition of anonymity to PTI.

“For nearly a week, there was an upheaval in the Shiv Sena,” the leader said. There’s also another side to this. The political turmoil in Maharashtra over ruling party MLAs cross-voting in the legislative Assembly in favor of the BJP is thought to be the cause of the MLAs’ sudden disappearance from Mumbai and arrival in Surat.

According to the newspaper, the development could further destabilise the UddhavThackeray government.

So, what’s next?

The BJP could be on the verge of making a move.

DevendraFadnavis, the party’s top leader in Maharashtra, arrived in Delhi and met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The Sena MLAs could be relocated to Ahmedabad for a meeting with Shah. According to sources, the BJP state government in Gujarat has provided Sena legislators with police protection.

The Shiv Sena should not be allied with the NCP or the Congress, according to Shinde’s supporters. According to the report, they say they are open to working with the Sena again, but only after the Senajoins the BJP in forming a new government.

Shinde and 35 other legislators are present in Surat, according to legislators. According to the report, this would clear the numbers needed to pass an anti-defection law and allow the governor to call a floor test in the Assembly.
FPJ reported that some legislators were perplexed as to why they had been summoned to Gujarat at all, and that they had no idea what they were doing in Surat.

ChandrakantPatil, the state BJP chief, told the newspaper that he would accept a proposal from Shinde’s camp to join the BJP. He did not, however, comment on the possibility of the MVA government collapsing.

The Shiv Sena has convened a meeting.

On Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Shiv Sena top leaders and MLAs are meeting. Sunil Kadam, Dada Bhuse, NeelamGorhe, MPs ArvindSawant and VinayakRaut, MLC ManishaKayande, and other Shiv Sena leaders attended the meeting, which was also attended by Thackeray, who is also the Shiv Sena president.

According to Raut, there is a plot to destabilise the Uddhav Thackeray-led government in the “same pattern” as what happened in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

“Shiv Sena is a loyalist party. We’re not going to let that happen “The news agency ANI quoted Raut as saying.

He also claimed that Shinde was a loyal Shiv Sainik and that the’missing’ MLAs would return once the party was able to contact them.

The Congress and the NCP, without a doubt, are keeping a close eye on the situation. The Maharashtra MahaVikasAghadi (MVA) government, according to state NCP minister ChhaganBhujbal, is not under threat.

“MLAs from the Shiv Sena and the Congress voted against each other in the polls on Monday. The Shiv Sena has 55 legislators, with three ministers from smaller parties and independents. There are 59 MLAs who support the Shiv Sena. Despite this, both of its candidates received 26 votes, barely meeting the quota of first preference votes. Even three Congress MLAs voted against the bill “Bhujbal asserted.