"State has shown which Shiv Sena is real": Eknath Shinde on Shiv Sena (UBT) workers joining Shiv Sena

Thane (Maharashtra) [India], January 10 (ANI): Following the recent switch of several Shiv Sena (UBT) workers to Shiv Sena, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde claimed that the state has already shown which Shiv Sena is the "real" one and accused Shiv Sena (UBT) of betraying the ideology of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray.
"During Vidhan Sabha elections, the state has shown which Shiv Sena is real. This is just a trailer, the full film is yet to come out. We will fight the upcoming Nagar Nigam elections in the state with full strength. UBT should think about why their party workers are quitting. We are going ahead with development issues and welcome all workers. Those who betrayed the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray have been shown their place by the people," said Shinde while addressing a press conference on Thursday.
Earlier, Nandekumar Ghodile (Uddhav Thackeray faction) and his wife Anita Ghodile switched to Shiv Sena (UBT) to Shiv Sena on December 3 in the presence of Eknath Shinde. Nandekumar Ghodile, a former Mayor of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar was one of the prominent members to make the switch.
Notably, the Mahayuti alliance has turned its focus to the upcoming local body elections after securing a massive win in the recently concluded Assembly polls.
Shiv Sena, a key alliance partner in Mahyuti, has said that the seat-sharing formula for the local body elections should mirror that of the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. They emphasised that the seat allocation should be based on the merits of the candidates, with sitting seats remaining with the respective party.
Preparations for the elections are already underway, with Shiv Sena focusing on securing seats in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections, which they believe they can win. Ground-level party workers have been instructed to go door-to-door, engaging with people and informing them about various state and central government schemes.
Reviews are also being conducted for potential candidates. Shiv Sena aims to secure at least 35-40 seats out of the total 162 seats in the PMC General Body. In the 2017 election, the United Shiv Sena won 10 seats in the PMC. (ANI)