Shiv Sena workers on Thursday burned an effigy of Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut in protest against his alleged disparaging remarks about the late party leader Anand Dighe, news agency PTI reported.
The demonstration was held at Anand Ashram, Dighe’s memorial and former office in Thane.
Dighe, a towering figure in the undivided Shiv Sena and a former district unit chief, is widely regarded as the political mentor of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde.
The controversy erupted after Raut commented on a newspaper advertisement issued by the Shinde-led Shiv Sena to wish Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday, PTI reported. Raut criticised the ad for displaying only a small image of Sena founder Bal Thackeray, while prominently featuring a photo of Anand Dighe, who, he noted, was merely a district leader.
The remarks did not sit well with Shinde supporters, prompting angry reactions and Thursday’s symbolic protest.
Stating that Dighe was a “dear colleague”, Raut said, nevertheless, he was not even a deputy leader of the party, and asked whether the Shinde-led Sena was equating him with Thackeray, PTI reported.
Ahead of BMC polls, Eknath Shinde asks ex-corporators to tell people about work done by Shiv Sena
Ahead of the BMC elections, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday told former Shiv Sena corporators to present the work done by the party before voters.
Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, addressed former corporators here in Nariman Point. MLA Nilesh Rane and former Lok Sabha MP Rahul Shewale were also present during the meeting.
Shinde`s directions came on a day when the time period of civic body polls became clear after the Supreme Court directed the State Election Commission to conduct local body polls before January 31, 2026.
Of the 82 corporators of the undivided Shiv Sena, whose term ended in 2022, over 50 joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena after the split in the party.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls are crucial for the Shinde-led Sena to establish its supremacy over the city, where the rival Shiv Sena (UBT) still wields considerable influence.
Pulling up the Maharashtra State Election Commission for non-compliance of its order, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the state local body polls, stalled since 2022, to be completed by January 31, 2026 without further extension.
The bench was irked over the failure of the state election commission (SEC) to comply with its order mandating a timely conclusion of the stalled local body elections.
(With PTI inputs)
