Shinde Sena Targets Aaditya Thackeray by setting up Hoardings in Pune

Maharashtra: Hoardings put up by the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena targeting Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray have emerged in Pune, days after Aaditya’s remarks about the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and the party's split.
 

These billboards appeared shortly after Aaditya made comments alluding to the division within the party and indirectly hitting out at Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
 

In response, Shinde’s Shiv Sena has accused Aaditya Thackeray of hypocrisy. Although the exact content of the hoardings has not been disclosed, their presence suggests escalating tensions between the two factions.
 

The hoardings come at a time when the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Eknath Shinde’s faction are locked in a struggle for control of the party and voter base.
 

Earlier in 2023, the Election Commission officially recognised Shinde’s faction as the legitimate representative of the Shiv Sena name. Despite that, the rift between the opposing groups has continued to deepen.
 

The Pune hoardings targeting Aaditya Thackeray further intensify the conflict between the two factions, especially with the upcoming BMC elections in Maharashtra drawing near.

Uddhav Thackeray further blamed the BJP for creating a rift within Shiv Sena in 2022 and attempting to break his party.

That year, Shiv Sena split into two factions after Eknath Shinde and 39 MLAs rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership, resulting in the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
 

Eknath Shinde, with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party, went on to become Chief Minister.
 

Later, when both factions contested for the original identity of Shiv Sena, the Election Commission recognised Eknath Shinde’s camp as the legitimate Shiv Sena and granted it the party’s original name and symbol. Uddhav’s faction was instead allotted a new symbol a "mashaal" (flaming torch).