As Thane, which matches to polls on Might 20, is poised for a Sena versus Sena battle, the campaigns of the each the factions have an imprint of the late Anand Dighe— who was Shiv Sena’s Thane strongman.
Each Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena UBT, of their ballot banners and songs, are battling on the query — “Who’s Dighe’s actual shishsya (disciple)?”
Earlier this week, CM Shinde had alleged that Uddhav had eyes on Dighe’s properties quickly after his demise.
“After I met Uddhav ji for the primary time after Dighe saheb’s demise, he requested me the place Anand Dighe had properties,” Shinde had stated in a gathering of the Mahayuti employees.
The remarks triggered a confrontation between Sena (UBT)’s Rajan Vichare and Shinde led Sena’s Naresh Mhaske, each contesting from the Thane seat.
Hours after the CM’s feedback, Vichare, the two-term Thane MP, who’s now eying for a 3rd time period, took a jibe at Shinde: “You’ve got grown a beard like Dighe sahab, did appearing like him however does that make you Anand Dighe? It’s important to work onerous like Dighe saheb did…”
Thane was not solely Dighe’s citadel but in addition an integral Sena stronghold. It was right here that the Shiv Sena had its first brush with success when in 1967, it made its political debut and received 17 out of 40 seats, turning into the biggest single get together of the town’s municipal company.
Within the many years that adopted, Sena’s reputation grew within the district and on the coronary heart of its deepening roots lay the person who dominated it with an iron fist — Dighe. Standard for his model of populist politics, Dighe, the Sena’s Thane district chief because the Eighties, mentored a number of budding leaders, together with each Shinde and Vichare.
Dighe was a political mentor to Shinde, serving to him win a seat within the Thane Municipal Company in 1997. When Shinde drew himself right into a cocoon after he misplaced his kids to a drowning accident in 2000, it was Dighe who stood by his facet and helped him.
In the meantime, Vichare additionally discovered his political footing below Dighe’s wings. With Dighe’s residence located proper behind his personal, Vichare’s affiliation with the Thane strongman started at when he was 16.
“It was due to Dighe and Balasaheb that I entered into politics,” Vichare advised The Indian Express.
With Thane slated to go to polls in section 5, each the factions have adopted the imagery of the town’s “Dharamveer Dighe” of their campaigns throughout the constituency.
From launching their campaigns by providing prayers to Dighe to invoking his reminiscence at each speech through the course of the continued rallies, each Mhaske and Vichare are relying closely on the goodwill of Dighe’s legacy in Thane.
Within the campaigns of each the factions within the metropolis, every little thing — banners, rally vehicles, door-to-door posters, stickers, pamphlets, books, hoardings, social media posts and movies — comes bearing an image of Dighe, alongside Balasaheb Thackeray’s.
In accordance with political observers, whilst Dighe’s legacy doesn’t resonate with the youthful technology in Thane, he provides each the factions an added political edge.
On Wednesday, the sitting MP from the Sena UBT faction, Vichare took jibes on Mhaske’s query by means of cartoons on social media. He provided prayers by visiting Dighe’s bust and later posted a video of the go to calling himself, “Dharamveer Anand Dighe sahebancha khara shishya” (true disciple of Anand Dighe).