GG News Bureau
Mumbai, 19th June: As both factions of the Shiv Sena gear up to mark the party’s Foundation Day on Thursday, a teaser video face-off has intensified the rivalry between Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT), underlining their escalating contest ahead of the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
The Shinde-led camp released a striking cartoon depicting Eknath Shinde walking alongside the party’s traditional tiger symbol while holding a saffron flag. The teaser bore the caption, “With Hindutva as our foundation, Maharashtra stands behind us,” appearing to position Shinde as the rightful inheritor of Bal Thackeray’s Hindutva-driven legacy.
In a swift counter, the Uddhav-led Shiv Sena (UBT) dropped its own video teaser promoting its Foundation Day event. It read, “The saffron will soar – a call of Hindutva. The Marathi identity will awaken. The voice of Thackeray will echo. A family celebration of the loyal and devoted,” signaling an emotional appeal to loyalists and reaffirming its commitment to the Thackeray name and ideology.
The symbolic battle of teasers comes at a politically charged juncture, with elections to Asia’s richest civic body expected soon. The BMC, operating without elected representatives since 2022—a first in its 137-year history—has long been a Thackeray bastion. The forthcoming polls are likely to reshape Mumbai’s political contours and test both factions’ clout on the ground.
Both factions are holding separate events on June 19. The Eknath Shinde-led Sena will stage a public celebration at the NSCI Dome in Worli, expected to spotlight recent electoral gains and unveil key local appointments. Meanwhile, the UBT faction will host its Foundation Day at Shanmukhananda Auditorium in Sion, with a focus on grassroots mobilisation and its coordination with the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance comprising Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP.
With both camps invoking Hindutva, Marathi pride, and Bal Thackeray’s legacy, the dual celebrations underline a fierce battle for political legitimacy and control over Mumbai’s civic heart.
