Uddhav Drops Cryptic Message as Shinde Moves All Corporators to Hotel

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde hurriedly acted to win his numbers following the BMC verdict by relocating newly elected Shiv Sena corporators to a Bandra hotel amid fears of being poached, and a defiant Uddhav Thackeray proving that it was still his dream to have a Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor in Mumbai, insisted on rallying his cadres despite the loss of control of the richest civic body in India and that it was his dream and it will come to pass, with the will of God.

Speaking to Sena (UBT) employees in Mumbai, Uddhav Thackeray attempted to turn the defeat in the BMC election not into a defeat but an uplifting factor gained in challenging conditions.

Also Read: Atlee Not Approached to Direct Don 3; Rumours of Him Directing Shah Rukh Khan ‘Completely Untrue’

“You all are the true architects of this success; we are merely a medium. The result that has come in such circumstances is truly a matter of pride,” he said, repeatedly praising party cadres for standing by the organisation despite scarce resources.

Striking a keen blow at the BJP and the ruling alliance, Thackeray held them guilty of power abuse and victory in the civic election with the help of betrayal.

“They believe they have finished Shiv Sena on paper, but they can never destroy the Shiv Sena that exists on the ground. They can never remain connected to the ground,” he said, alleging that every tactic - “saam, daam, dand, bhed” - was deployed against his party. “The traitors left, but they could not buy loyalty,” he added.

In one of his most critical statements Thackeray claimed that the BJP had mortgaged Mumbai to win.

“Those who have won through betrayal have done so by mortgaging Mumbai. The Marathi people will never forgive this sin,” he told workers, reiterating that the Sena (UBT) remained the true representative of the Marathi manoos.

Also Read: ‘If Sena Wasn’t Divided’, ‘Numbers Against BJP’, ‘If Cong Didn’t…’: Decoding the ‘Ifs’ in BMC, Maharashtra Results

Betrayed victors have been victorious at the expense of mortgaging Mumbai. This is a sin that can never be forgiven by the Marathi people, he told workers repeating the message that the Sena (UBT) was the true voice of the Marathi manoos.

Thackeray claimed that he wants to install the mayor of Shiv Sena (UBT) in Mumbai and with the will of God, his dream will come true.

The reason Shinde is concerned: the figures behind the hotel relocation

The majority mark in the BMC is 114 out of the 227 members. The BJP has secured 89 seats and the ruling alliance headed by Eknath Shinde 29, only four seats short of the mid point.

With the margin narrow and the stakes high before the mayoral election in the richest civic body in India, Shinde has taken his newly elected corporators to a hotel as a way of preventing defection or last minute defection and the resultant upheaval of the arithmetic to control the civic house.

Party leaders claimed that it was a precaution move to avoid poaching in an era where the numbers are tight and the mayoral race is about to start.

Also Read: India Presses Iran for Consular Access to 16 Crew of Seized Oil Tanker