Maharashtra Politics: The politics of Maharashtra has once again become heated. A rebellion-like situation has arisen in Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena. Six out of 9 MPs have become rebels. All of them are currently in Delhi and in the coming time they will join the Shinde group. The resentment of these rebel MPs of UBT did not arise in a day, but in the last few years, this dissatisfaction continuously increased due to political circumstances and organizational challenges. In such a situation, know the eight reasons due to which six of Uddhav’s MPs became rebels?
- Anxiety increased after defeat in assembly elections: After not getting the expected success in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, many MPs started feeling that the party leadership was not seriously introspecting the reasons for the defeat. Being in the opposition, his political role was also becoming limited and he started feeling uncomfortable within the party.
- Problems regarding development works and funds: The biggest challenge before the MPs was the development works in their constituencies. Due to the power of funds and schemes with the Mahayuti government, Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs were sometimes not able to get the required support for their areas. On the other hand, the Mahayuti leaders who had lost the elections against them were also getting government resources and funds, due to which the political problems of the MPs were increasing.
- Concern increased due to the results of local body elections: The party’s performance in the Municipal, Municipal Corporation, Nagar Panchayat and Zilla Parishad elections held after the Assembly elections was also not as per expectations. In many areas the party was reduced to fourth and fifth place. Due to this, the worries about the future deepened in the minds of the MPs.
- Defeat in Mumbai increased apprehensions: Mumbai has been considered the traditional stronghold of Shiv Sena. The party put in all its strength in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections, but did not get the expected success. Despite having three MPs in Mumbai and a strong organizational base, the results have forced the MPs to think that if the situation continues like this, their political prospects may be affected in the future.
- Dissatisfaction with leadership style: Some MPs felt that party chief Uddhav Thackeray was not being aggressive enough about the future strategy. He believed that the party needed big mass movements and street struggle politics. Besides, the communication between the MPs and the leadership was also less than before, due to which dissatisfaction increased.
- Growing influence of Eknath Shinde and Shrikant Shinde: There was also a perception among the angry MPs that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and MP Shrikant Shinde used to help them on a personal level. According to many MPs, they got support from the Shinde group in their personal and political work. Because of this, Shinde’s influence on some MPs increased.
- Matoshree’s meeting became the turning point: A meeting of MPs was called on 14 June in Matoshree. It is discussed that out of 9 MPs, only five MPs attended the meeting through online medium. During the meeting, Uddhav Thackeray reportedly said in clear words that anyone who wants to leave the party can do so. This message created more confusion in the minds of the already angry MPs.
- Concern about political future: Many MPs were beginning to feel that if they wanted to win re-election in 2029, relying only on personal popularity would not suffice. Looking at the situation of the organization, availability of resources and political equations, some leaders started considering new options regarding their future.
Overall, organizational challenges, election performance, lack of resources, distance from leadership and future political uncertainty were the main reasons due to which resentment increased among some Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs.
Who are the rebel MPs?
- Omraj Nimbalkar
- Nagesh Patil Ashtikar
- Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh
- Sanjay (Bandu) Jadhav
- Sanjay Dina Patil
- Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchore
Also read- Why is Shinde in such a hurry to bring along Uddhav’s 7 MPs?
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