MumbaiIn another blow to Shiv Sena (UBT) faction chief Uddhav Thackeray, his trusted aide and former Industries Minister Subhash Desai’s son Bhushan Desai on Monday joined the Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Desai joined the Shinde faction in the presence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and several other Shiv Sena leaders.
Maharashtra | Bhushan Desai, son of former industries minister & Uddhav Thackeray faction leader Subhash Desai joins CM Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. pic.twitter.com/Y4MeNH4XtF– ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2023
Desai joined the Shinde faction days before the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. His change of camp is being seen as a major development in the political circles of Maharashtra. It may be noted that Subhash has been a close confidante of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for more than five decades and served as the Minister of Industries and Mines during the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra.
The development is also being seen as a major setback for Uddhav Thackeray, a few days back after the former Maharashtra Chief Minister declared the “real Shiv Sena” as the “real Shiv Sena” by the Election Commission after the Shiv Sena name and its election symbol to the Eknath Shinde faction. had lost.
On joining the Shinde camp, Bhushan Desai told media persons that he was “impressed by CM Shinde’s style of functioning” and after discussing with his father, he decided to join the party. “I had made up my mind to join the Shiv Sena, which follows the ideals of late Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray. Whatever responsibility the party gives me, I will do it,” he said. Shinde and other senior leaders lauded Bhushan Desai for his move, offering him party flags and other symbols to mark his entry into the Shiv Sena.
However, reacting to the development, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said that Bhushan was not with the Uddhav faction. Subhash Desai is our big leader. We follow his guidance, his son was not with us. Whoever wants to go to the washing machine should go,” he said.
Earlier on February 17, in a major setback to the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena, the Election Commission of India (ECI) allotted the party name “Shiv Sena” and symbol “bow and arrow” to the faction led by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Eknath Shinde. While the Shinde faction welcomed the decision to be recognized as the original Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray approached the Supreme Court, which later refused to stay the Election Commission’s order.
The commission, in its order, found that the present constitution of the Shiv Sena party is undemocratic and has been “perverted to undemocratically appoint persons of a circle as office-bearers without any election”. It added that such a party structure fails to inspire confidence. The poll panel advised all political parties to reflect the democratic ethos and principles of internal party democracy and regularly disclose aspects of their internal party functioning, such as organizational details, conduct of elections, constitution, on their respective websites. Copy and list of office bearers.
“The constitution of political parties should provide for free, fair and transparent elections to office-bearers and a more free and fair process for the resolution of internal disputes. These processes should be difficult to amend and should only be amendable later ” Ensuring greater support of the organizational members for the same,” the ECI said.
Last month, both the factions led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Shinde and former Shiv Sena CM Uddhav Thackeray submitted their written statements to the Election Commission in support of their claims on the party’s name and symbol.
ECI freezes Shiv Sena’s bow and arrow symbol and allots ‘two swords and shield’ symbol to Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena and ‘flaming torch’ (torch) election symbol to Uddhav Thackeray faction For the by-election in the Andheri East assembly constituency in November last year.
The Shiv Sena had last year forced Uddhav Thackeray to resign as chief minister of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Shinde later joined hands with the BJP to form the government in the state.