The numbers tell us the BJP's acceptability in Maharashtra is growing -- at the expense of the Shiv Sena, no matter what the faction, points out Aditi Phadnis.
He said that ruling party MLAs Manda Mhatre (BJP) and Sanjay Gaikwad (Shiv Sena) have also spoken about the duplication of voters and irregularities in the electoral rolls.
Mumbai has not seen scenes like what it witnessed on Sunday when Balasaheb Thackeray's cortege made its way to Shivaji Park. Will Uddhav Thackeray, Balasaheb's political heir, use this huge surge of support to revive his party's electoral fortunes, wonders Abhishek Mande.
Fadnavis' tongue-in-cheek remark directed at Uddhav on the "scope" for him in the ruling side set off speculation last week.
An editorial in the Sena-UBT mouthpiece Saamana also claimed the possibility of rapprochement between Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray has rattled "Maharashtra baiters".
'You (Sharma) have been working in Mumbai for so many years...Mumbai has been your 'karmabhoomi' (land of work). The people of Mumbai like you and watch your shows. Mumbai is in our hearts, don't insult this city, don't insult the people of Mumbai...I am warning Kapil Sharma'
Shah's meeting, if it happens, with Thackeray assumes huge political significance given the Sena's demand for equal sharing of power in the next government in view of the senior ally BJP's weakened tally.
If the INDIA bloc and NDA develop consensus then Shiv Sena-UBT will also be part of that process, Raut said.
Amid violence against Hindi-speaking people, Maharashtra minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ashish Shelar on Sunday drew parallels between the Pahalgam terror attack and the beating of 'Hindus' in Mumbai, which he said is condoned by some leaders.
"Kamra merely expressed his views. He stated the facts and voiced the public opinion," Thackeray told reporters at Vidhan Bhavan in south Mumbai.
A local Shiv Sena (UBT) leader has threatened to blacken Rahul Gandhi's face for his remarks about freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, sparking a strong reaction from Congress leaders in Maharashtra. The threat, made by Bala Darade, a deputy city unit chief of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party in Nashik, could put the opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) under strain. The Congress leadership has condemned the threat, stating that their party believes in non-violence but is capable of responding to such threats.
As the news spread, workers of Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray rushed to the spot and cleaned the premises.
Tensions between Shelar and Raj Thackeray escalated after the latter, in a public speech, used the term khokebahaddar for some MLAs.
Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir reiterated Pakistan's stance on Kashmir, calling it the country's 'jugular vein' during an address to the Pakistani diaspora in Tampa, Florida. He also discussed Pakistan-US relations and the potential for increased investment.
Shiv Sena working president Uddhav Thackeray had a hush-hush meeting with Nationalist Congress Party president and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Tuesday night at the Pawars's official residence in New Delhi.
The Opposition in Maharashtra boycotted the government's customary tea party on the eve of the Winter session, citing its failure to appoint leaders of the opposition (LoPs) in both houses of the state legislature.
A video showing an auto-rickshaw driver being beaten up allegedly by Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray workers in Maharashtra's Palghar district for 'anti-Marathi' remarks has gone viral on social media, further fuelling controversy over the language issue in the state.
The Uddhav faction was shocked to see Pawar felicitate Shinde with an award.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah challenged BJP cadre to ensure the opposition is defeated in the upcoming local body polls in Maharashtra. He emphasized the party's strength and commitment to performance-based politics, citing PM Modi as an example.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has slammed the BJP over its stance on the Waqf Amendment Bill, accusing the party of a "fraudulent" approach and of trying to take away land for its industrialist friends. He also dared the BJP to remove the green color from its party flag if it disliked Muslims. Thackeray's comments come after the bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray chief Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin Raj Thackeray, who heads the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, came together at the wedding of the latter's nephew in Mumbai on Sunday.
Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray would be undergoing an angioplasty on Friday for removal of blockages in the arteries.
Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader Uddhav Thackeray and his MLA son Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday met with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar on the premises of Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur.
Maharashtra Revenue Minister assures investigation into an alleged land deal involving a company linked to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's son, Parth Pawar, after receiving a formal complaint.
Hitting out at Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar for indulging in a blame game over the MVA's defeat in the state assembly, Raut said those who don't believe in consensus and compromise have no right to be in an alliance.
A Mumbai Police constable posted as a bodyguard of Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, has been arrested on charges of molesting a 20-year old woman.
This was the third public meeting between the cousins in the last two months, further intensifying speculation of a thaw in ties between the two parties.
Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday claimed that Uddhav Thackeray planned to make Eknath Shinde the chief minister of Maharashtra after the 2019 polls, but first the Bharatiya Janata Party and later Maha Vikas Aghadi allies including Sharad Pawar played a spoilsport.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and MNS head Raj Thackeray met at a hotel in Mumbai on Thursday morning.
I don't subscribe to begani shaadi mein Abdullah diwana, Fadnavis said.
'We need to grasp issues dear to locals of a state and spread the reach of the party as fast as possible,' the Shiv Sena leader said in his maiden public appearance in Delhi.
Tanwani claimed he withdrew from the fray in 2019 due to a similar situation and helped Jaiswal win the elections.
Red Chillies Entertainment, run by actor Shah Rukh Khan, who had come under fire from Shiv Sena for his support to Pakistani players during IPL bidding, has wished Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray on his 50th birthday on Tuesday.
CJI Gavai said that as head of the Judicial Infrastructure Committee he had prepared a model of setting up new taluka and district-level courts
Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, estranged cousins and leaders of Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS respectively, will share a public stage after two decades to celebrate the Maharashtra government's decision to roll back the three-language policy in primary schools.
That the MVA government, comprising Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress completed a year in office despite frequent murmurs of lack of coordination among the ruling alliance partners is being attributed to the rapport between Thackeray, 60, and NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar.
After putting to rest speculation that he would take his father's post of "Shiv Sena pramukh," party's executive president Uddhav Thackeray has been named editor of its mouthpiece Saamana.
Speculations about a rapprochement between Uddhav Thackeray and his estranged cousin Raj Thackeray are gathering steam, but leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) acknowledge that personal ties and organisational synergy are significant hurdles that need to be overcome. While both parties have expressed a willingness to put aside "trivial issues" and unite, the prospect of a reunion is complex, involving family dynamics, ideological differences, and the potential for internal conflicts. The reunion buzz has come at a time when both parties are experiencing a political nadir, with the Sena (UBT) winning 20 seats and the MNS drawing a blank in the 2024 assembly polls. The prospect of the two cousins coming together has enthused supporters of both parties, but it might not be the case with a section of cadres and party leaders. Key concerns include seat-sharing agreements, potential conflicts in areas with strong bases for both parties, and ideological differences.
Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray has extended an olive branch to his cousin Raj Thackeray, who went on to form the Maharashtra Narvnirman Sena in 2006.
The veteran character actor passed away in Mumbai on December 7 following breathing troubles.
