Hedging bets or posturing? In 1st social engineering attempt, Shinde Sena ties up with Ambedkar grandson
The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Wednesday clinched an alliance with the Republican Sena, a political outfit led by Anandraj Ambedkar, Dr B.R. Ambedkar's grandson.
Mumbai: In preparation for the local body polls expected to be held across Maharashtra this year or early next year, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has taken a leaf out of his mentor, Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray's book, by getting a 'Bhimshakti' in his corner. But whether it will yield any political advantage remains to be seen.
Ahead of the 2012 civic polls, the undivided Shiv Sena under Bal Thackeray along with its ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) forged an alliance with Ramdas Athavale's Republican Party of India (RPI), despite the Shiv Sena's strained past with the Dalit community. The gambit had somewhat paid off at the ballot boxes.
Political commentator Hemant Desai said, 'Eknath Shinde feels like his party's image has been getting maligned, and is looking for ways to give it a boost ahead of local body polls. He also wants to show that his party has a solid existence and can bring together leaders from diverse communities. But, politically, there will be no impact of this alliance. It just helps in posturing and spinning a narrative.'
In the past month, leaders from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena such as Sanjay Gaikwad, Sanjay Shirsat and Sanjay Rathod have faced allegations of inappropriate behaviour or graft. On Monday, Deputy CM Shinde also warned his party cadre to not cause him any embarrassment. The BJP, meanwhile, has taken political advantage of these controversies, distancing itself from them in trying to win the perception battle.
Also read: Shinde & Thackeray revive Shiv Sena's classic 'Marathi manus, sons of soil' pitch ahead of BMC polls
Shinde's first attempt at social engineering
Dr Sanjay Patil, researcher at Mumbai University's politics and civics department, told ThePrint, 'The local body polls are still some time away. The alliance is unlikely to bring any political gains as such. Prakash Ambedkar's name and party still has some following in parts of Maharashtra, but Anandraj Ambedkar has not developed the same kind of following. He has hardly spoken convincingly on issues or made any dent during elections.'
The significance of the tie-up, however, lies in the fact that this is Eknath Shinde's first concrete attempt at social engineering, Patil said.
Prakash and Anadraj Ambedkars are both grandsons of Dr B.R. Ambedkar. Anandraj Ambedkar had unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the Amravati constituency, getting just 1.6 percent of the total votes polled. Prakash Ambedkar had contested the same election from Akola and lost too, but had clinched 23.59 percent of total votes.
A tie-up with the 'legacy of blood'
Post the 2012 alliance when Athavale came to the BJP-Shiv Sena fold, Athavale has remained loyal to the BJP and has been a minister of state in all three cabinets of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On Wednesday, while announcing his party's alliance with Anandraj Ambedkar's outfit, Shinde recalled Bal Thackeray's 'Bhim Shakti-Shiv Shakti' formula, but emphasised more on Anandraj Ambedkar's legacy of being Dr BR Ambedkar's grandson.
He said, 'We are two armies. One is an army that runs on the legacy of the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray, while the other is an army that runs on the legacy of the blood of Bharatratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. And that's why we will get along really well.'
On his part, Anandraj Ambedkar said his outfit was allying with the Shinde-led Shiv Sena unconditionally.
'We have decided to go with him unconditionally. The only condition is that Eknathrao should include Ambedkarite karyakartas in power and he has given us this word,' Ambedkar said.
In 2022, Uddhav Thackeray too had looked back on his father's 'Bhimshakti-Shiv Shakti' formula by allying with Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha and assembly polls.
The alliance, however, did not work out within the broader Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance comprising the Congress, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).
Prakash Ambedkar's party ended up contesting independently, amid allegations of the VBA being the Mahayuti's B-team, and suffered a drubbing. The Mahayuti comprises the BJP, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
Shinde said, the alliance between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the VBA did not work out within the larger MVA because 'MVA was formed for selfish reasons'.
'We have faith in each other. Our karyakartas are in sync so there should be no such problem in the Mahayuti,' he said.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Ahead of BMC polls, Fadnavis doubles down on scandal-ridden Shinde Sena MLAs but stops short of action
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
27 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Nainar Nagenthran flays DMK government over poor cleanliness in cities
BJP Tamil Nadu president Nainar Nagenthran on Sunday said the DMK leaders should be ashamed of boasting about governance over the past four years, when the State government has failed to contain the growing problem of garbage accumulation in cities. In a statement, Mr. Nagenthran said it was deeply shocking that in the national-level cleanliness survey, Swachh Survekshan 2024-25, released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Chennai ranked 38th and Madurai 40th among the 40 cities in the country having a population of more than 10 lakh. 'When not a single city from Tamil Nadu finds a place in the top ten, what happened to the Dravidian model government's claims of spending thousands of crores every year on sanitation work? Is the DMK government incapable of managing the garbage crisis in the State, just as it is unable to control rising crime?' Mr. Nagenthran asked. 'It is tragic that Tamil Nadu has been turning into a hotspot for diseases due to ineffective administration. Poor conditions in government hospitals, major cities becoming garbage dumps, and large-scale corruption under the guise of maintenance all pointed to the incompetence of the ruling DMK government,' he alleged.
Time of India
42 minutes ago
- Time of India
BJP MLAs claim new corporations of Bengaluruunscientific, Congress thinks otherwise
Bengaluru: The draft notification enabling the formation of five new civic bodies in Bengaluru in place of the existing BBMP is met with stiff opposition from BJP, which claims it is unscientific. Rajarajeshwari Nagar BJP MLA and former minister N Munirathna said he had "no words to describe how senseless the splitting exercise has been." His constituency is part of the proposed Bengaluru West, North, and South corporations. "How do they expect one MLA to attend three meetings on the same issue at the same time?" he said. He noted that he was not against having five corporations but opposed splitting the city without a clear concept for planning and allocation of funds. "The central part has less space for new development. Constituencies, including Malleswaram and Basavanagudi, could have been included entirely within the Central corporation," he said. He also said the Outer Ring Road and the upcoming Peripheral Ring Road could have been used as a reference for the boundaries. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru However, transport minister and BTM Layout MLA Ramalinga Reddy was hopeful about the next steps, including the formation of wards and holding local body elections. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo "Since an affidavit has been filed, polls cannot be delayed for long," he said. Malleswaram MLA Dr CN Ashwath Narayan opined that the corporations have nothing to show as their job description. "Most of the critical functions are handled by specialised bodies like Bescom and BWSSB. Waste management will be taken up by BSWMA. What is left for these corporations to do?" he said, adding that major infrastructure projects will continue to remain centralised under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). However, Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad, who was instrumental in advocating the division of BBMP, denied any political motive behind the new boundaries, noting that most of the core constituencies represented by BJP will remain intact within a single corporation. "Boundaries of some assembly constituencies were unscientifically drawn, with their areas extending from the city's north to south. Portions of these constituencies being included under the respective zone ensures administrative convenience," he said, adding even these areas would be mostly under one corporation. He claimed that the boundaries of assembly segments may even change in the future. Arshad said the new corporations will enjoy autonomy in collecting and spending tax revenue. "There will also be greater accountability compared to one large corporation," he added. — Quotes Most of the critical functions are handled by specialised bodies like Bescom and BWSSB. Waste management will be taken up by BSWMA. What is left for these (new) corporations to do? -Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, Malleswaram MLA —— (Once smaller corporations are formed), there will also be greater accountability compared to one large corporation -Rizwan Arshad, Shivajinagar MLA
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Sanjay Raut slams Maharashtra's Public Safety Bill as tool to suppress dissent
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday (July 20, 2025) launched a blistering attack on the Devendra Fadnavis government over the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, 2024, claiming it poses a direct threat to civil liberties and democratic expression in the State. Writing in his weekly Rokhthok column in the party mouthpiece Saamana, Mr. Raut described the legislation as a tool crafted not for public safety, but to serve political and corporate interests. 'This is not a Jan Suraksha Bill, it is a BJP Suraksha Bill,' he wrote, alleging the government rushed the bill through the legislature without adequate debate. According to Mr. Raut, the Bill—passed during the recently concluded monsoon session of the Assembly—grants sweeping powers to the police and government to arrest individuals for acts deemed to disturb 'public order,' a phrase he said is deliberately vague and prone to misuse. He warned that NGOs, civil society groups, tribal activists, and those opposing large corporate projects like Gautam Adani's mining operations spread from Chandrapur to Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand forests could now be easily targeted under the new law. The Maharashtra Assembly on July 10, 2025, passed the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, 2024, aimed at preventing 'unlawful activities of Left Wing Extremist organisations or similar groups'. The Bill will now be tabled in the Legislative Council. 'I assure the House that we will not allow the misuse of this law. I request the House to pass this Bill unanimously,' Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who tabled the Bill. Despite opposition from the Communist Party of India (CPI) and objections by other parties, Speaker Rahul Narvekar declared that the Bill, put to vote through a voice vote, was approved by a majority. With the passage of the Bill in both Houses, Maharashtra will become the fifth State after Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha to enact a public security law. The law will impose punishments ranging from two to seven years in prison for members of unlawful organisations. Offences under the Act will be cognisable and non-bailable in nature, and grant the government the authority to seize and forfeit funds belonging to such groups. Mr. Raut further criticised the government's intent behind the bill, saying it is aimed at silencing protests in areas such as Dharavi, where residents have been resisting redevelopment and displacement. 'The Dharavi Rehabilitation Project is the world's biggest land scam. The original residents will be uprooted from their rightful place and the leaders who are fighting for their rights will be labelled as 'Urban Naxalites' and imprisoned under the act. If people cannot protest peacefully against injustice, what remains of democracy?' the column said. Highlighting the double standards of the ruling coalition, Raut questioned why the government was turning a blind eye to hate speeches and violent acts by right-wing elements, while seeking to criminalise dissent from marginalised communities and activists. He also accused the government of using the bill as a pretext to consolidate power before the upcoming civic elections, particularly in Mumbai. 'The law is being used to intimidate those who dare speak against the regime or its business allies,' he claimed. 'Such laws attack the soul of democracy. If this bill becomes law, it will be a dark day for Maharashtra,' he added.
