The sidelined Thackerays now emerge out of the cold, get a warm Shinde welcome | Political Pulse News,The Indian Express
Uddhav Thackeray's sister-in-law Smita and nephew Nihar meet CM Eknath Shinde, back him as a true Shiv Sainik.
After getting two-third of the Shiv Sena’s MLAs, 12 of its 18 MPs and hundreds of corporators, besides senior leaders and district unit heads, the Eknath Shinde Sena faction may now acquire some Thackerays.
Last week, Smita Thackeray and Nihar Thackeray, the daughter-in-law and grandson, respectively, of Sena founder Bal Thackeray, met Shinde and expressed their support for him.
The two insisted they were paying just a courtesy call, to acknowledge Shinde as the real Shiv Sainik, carrying forward the ideology of Bal Thackeray. However, whether or not they join politics formally, their presence besides Shinde sent out exactly the message that both sides wanted to convey.
Chief Minister Shinde has been at pains to emphasise that the Sena rebellion led by him was not a revolt against Balasaheb, and in fact was meant to uphold the principles of the late Sena supremo. The rebel Sainiks have also been told not to attack Uddhav Thackeray personally, despite his repeated charge of “betrayal” against them. Having Thackeray clan members on his side only bolsters Shinde’s case.
MNS leader Raj Thackeray earlier showed his pliability towards the new power dynamics within the Sena.
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