Will 'Thackeray brand' survive without Sena's name and symbol?

CM Shinde's next move, after winning the Sena name, will be to attract voters and more party workers to his side

In a significant development in Maharashtra politics, the Election Commission on February 17 recognised the Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena as the 'real' one and allocated it the iconic 'bow and arrow' symbol.

This development, amid the ongoing Shinde-Thackeray hearing in the Supreme Court, is a big blow for Uddhav Thackeray. It also means that now, the Shinde faction is the official Shiv Sena party. But will this Shinde’s victory over Thackery help him in the long run or will it bolster the sympathy wave that Uddhav has been riding since the rebellion last year?

Talking about this Sakal Media Group’s senior journalist Shivaji Yadav said, “Even though the EC has recognised Eknath Shinde as the real ‘owner’ of the Shiv Sena, the traditional voter base of the party will largely back Uddhav Thackeray and he will use EC’s decision to gain more sympathy in the coming elections."

Also read | EC recognises Eknath Shinde-led faction as real Shiv Sena, allocates 'bow and arrow' symbol

Shinde's next move will be to attract voters and more party workers to his side, using the symbol and the name, now legally his, Yadav added. "Shiv Sena was always recognised as Bal Thackeray’s party. And the fact that Uddhav is his biological successor cannot be denied or changed by any order or decision.”

In an interaction between Shinde and rebel MLAs in Guwahati, which had surfaced on the internet during the state's crisis, Shinde had said that the ‘mahashakti’ (superpower) is with us and we are the real Shiv Sena. Before the Andheri bypolls, the EC had frozen the original symbol and allocated two separate icons to the factions. CM Shinde, confident that the original symbol will come to his group, did not popularise the 'dhal-talwar' (sword and shield) alloted by the poll body, nor did he contest any polls. On the other hand, the Thackeray faction popularised its 'mashaal' (torch) through social media and other means. Shinde’s lack of willingness to use the sword and shield symbol raises many questions.

Considering this as the point of reference, political analyst Bhimashankar Waghmare told DH, “Shinde never used the sword and shield symbol in the last 6 months. Recently, Maharashtra’s deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis in an interview said that he took revenge on Uddhav Thackeray as he backstabbed him post-election by joining hands with the Congress and NCP. This statement by Fanavis, Shinde’s reference to ‘mahasakti’ and today's EC’s decision will be clubbed together by many voters.”

He added, “The BJP has been saying that Shinde is the true successor of Balasaheb. But will this reflect in the seat-sharing formula during the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha election. If Shinde gets the seat share as what Uddhav used to get during the BJP and Sena alliance, it could be said that the BJP will be with Shinde in the long run, but if Shinde gets a small share, Uddhav will use it to build another narrative about how Shinde is being used and the BJP finished Balasaheb’s original Shiv Sena."

The upcoming BMC elections will be crucial for Uddhav Thackeray, as he has to prove his mettle without a party name and symbol. It will be interesting to see whether Uddhav will be able to consolidate votes on the ‘Thackeray brand’ or if voters will choose the paraphernalia.