“Municipal panels, projects, ward maps… the fight is over these. Not over Delhi or Mumbai alliances,” says a Shiv Sena worker in Thane, asking how the party could concede its ground, even if it is to its ally BJP.
That holds especially true for Thane near Mumbai – a district that has been a long-time turf of Shiv Sena chief and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and where his son and MP Shrikant Shinde and BJP Maharashtra chief Ravindra Chavan have now crossed swords.
The tensions following allegations of poaching and counter-poaching in Thane reached such a pitch recently that Shinde made a trip to Delhi, after which Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reportedly promised to have a talk with Chavan. Publicly, both Shinde Sr and Fadnavis have asserted that “the alliance is intact and united”.
The Thane tensions stem from long back, when the BJP and a united Shiv Sena were competing for dominance. Shinde split the Sena and led his faction to an alliance with the BJP in 2022. But that hasn’t meant a reconciliation on the ground.
According to the district leadership of both parties, nearly every municipal ward is witnessing some degree of parallel mobilisation, rallies, silent shakha meetings, closed-door gatherings and attempts to attract supporters from rival camps.
The trigger
Sources identify the Ulhasnagar defection of five BJP corporators – Jamnu Puraswani, Prakash Makhija, Mahesh Sukhramani, Kishore Vanwari and Meena Sonde – to the Shinde Sena, as the reason for the flare-up of recent tensions. Shinde was present to welcome them into the Sena.
Puraswani, seen as among the most prominent Sindhi faces in the region, gave “the neglect of old-time workers”, as leaders were taken in from the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress; issues with the Thane BJP unit’s decision-making; and stalled local projects as the reason.
“We don’t have any issue with the state BJP leadership, but with those at the local level. I have been associated with the BJP for over three-four decades, but now, without consulting us, new faces are being given positions in the district-level core committee. Old leaders are even being denied tickets. We tried to convey these concerns several times… Hence we had no option but to join the Sena,” Puraswani told The Indian Express.
While both allies have accused each of aggressive poaching, Puraswani asserted: “No one from the Sena contacted us. Shinde ji even tried to stop us from resigning from the BJP. But we explained to him our situation, and only then he agreed to it, to ensure that the strength of the alliance is not weakened in the Ulhasnagar corporation.”
After this, there were defections in reverse, with Sena leaders switching to the BJP. State BJP chief Chavan this time attended the induction of former Sena corporators Sunita Patil and Sayali Vichare and taluka chief Mahesh Patil in Kalyan, and Sena corporator Shubhangi Behnwal and her husband Manohar in Ulhasnagar.
This prompted Sena MLA Rajesh More to warn: “Even though the BJP is in power at the Centre and in the state, they (the BJP) should think twice before engineering defections.” BJP leader Narendra Pawar shot back saying the Sena should “first try and keep their flock together instead of criticising the BJP, which is No. 1 in Kalyan-Dombivli”.
Days after they had switched sides, Behnwal and her husband were attacked, allegedly by Sena workers. Police are investigating the case.
Manohar told The Indian Express he left because of the attitude of Sena Kalyan city president Rajendra Chaudhary. “He would not let us work and was neglecting workers… In fact, Shinde senior and junior are great leaders who pay attention to the issues of workers.”
Sena leader Mahesh Gaikwad getting shot inside a police station in Kalyan by BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad last year is also another source of tension in the area. While both parties insist it was the fallout of a personal dispute, it has contributed to the resentment, said a Sena leader.
A BJP corporator said, “Switching parties is common before polls. But this time the distrust is very high. Every crossover is being viewed through the lens of retaliation.”
What’s at stake
Leaders from both sides identify the municipal panel system as one of the primary motivations for the defections. Under the system, which has been reintroduced from these polls, a group of corporators contests as a unit or panel, with four-member panels in each ward. Except Mumbai, the rest of the 28 municipal corporations – elections for which are held on party symbols – will have such four-member panels.
A BJP functionary explained the tussle to get stronger candidates to one’s side to strengthen the panels, irrespective of the party they belong to. “A panel system is a survival kit and, if your panel weakens, you die in civic politics. That is why people are jumping sides to ensure they get onto a strong panel.”
A Shinde Sena worker said: “The pre-poll atmosphere has become chaotic due to this system… Everyone is checking which side gives them a better chance.”
Senior leaders on both sides said there was a push for truce ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls last year, but many of the issues were never fully settled.
A Mahayuti functionary from Kalyan-Dombivli said: “At the top, in the Mantrayala or the state and the Centre, the alliance may be fine. But at the ward level, the competition never stopped.”
Plus, the stakes are now personal. In Kalyan-Dombivli, it’s a straight rivalry between BJP state chief Chavan and Shrikant Shinde; while in Thane and Navi Mumbai city, BJP minister Ganesh Naik and Thane BJP MLA and leader Sanjay Kelkar are seen as pushing to expand their influence in pockets where the Shinde Sena traditionally holds sway.
Sena workers say these moves have “unsettled the ground equation”. A local leader who has worked with Chavan as well as Shrikant said: “Both want control of the region, both have strong networks, and both want complete dominance in KDMC (Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation).”
The leader added: “While Shrikant is an MP from Kalyan, Chavan belongs to Dombivli, which is seen as a BJP stronghold due to its sizeable Marathi and Brahmin population.”
In Thane city, the aggression of Naik and Kelkar has led to clashes between BJP workers and Shinde loyalists. A senior BJP functionary admitted “These are not new fights. But before, there was a boundary. Now that boundary is gone.”
A local Sena leader said: “The municipal election is a worker’s election. Ticket decisions and panel numbers matter more than the alliance label.”
What raised the differences to national attention was the absence of a majority of the Sena ministers (not including Shinde) at last week’s Cabinet meeting. Some of them like Sanjay Shirsat openly attributed the move to anger over “aggressive poaching” of their leaders.
A day after, Shinde was in Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Following the meeting, both sides told office-bearers to “strictly avoid poaching” and party leaders to not be seen personally inducting the others’ members.
However, district-level workers say it is easier said than done. A BJP insider in Dombivli said, “These statements are fine, but the distrust is already built.”