Shiv Sena Minister Shirsat Says Ready To Help Resolve Rift With Uddhav Faction, But ‘Hearts Must Meet First’
Sanjay Shirsat, who is also the Shiv Sena spokesperson, revealed that many of his party colleagues share cordial ties with the Sena UBT leaders even today.
Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat on Saturday said he was ready to facilitate rapprochement between his party and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) but "hearts must first". He revealed that the leaders of the two parties still meet each other warmly.
Responding to if he was ready to facilitate efforts towards reconciliation if given an opportunity, Shirsat said: "I will do it, but hearts need to meet first."
During an interview to a Marathi channel, Shirsat shared how he is pained by the split in the Shiv Sena, which was founded by Bal Thackeray and is now headed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Shirsat, who is also the Shiv Sena spokesperson, revealed that many of his party colleagues share cordial ties with the Sena UBT leaders even today. However, he said the distance between the two factions has reached a point that if it is not bridged now, it will become difficult to mend ties later.
He was further asked whether Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray would facilitate a patch-up, to which Shirsat said that the youth leader, who is in his 30s, was not in a position to do so because of his age.
Referring to attacks by Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders, Shirsat said: "We can forgive each other’s mistakes. If you think you can come together by insulting each other then that's not possible."
The original Shiv Sena which was under Uddhav Thackeray the, split in June 2022 after Eknath Shinde led a rebellion in the party. He had walked away with his supporters and joined hands with the BJP, following which he became the Maharashtra CM. Shinde later even got the party name and its ‘bow and arrow’ symbol.
Since the division of Shiv Sena, leaders of both the factions have relentlessly attacked each other.
In the Maharashtra Assembly elections last year, the Shinde Sena, which is a partner in the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, bagged 57 of the state’s 288 seats. The Sena (UBT), on the other hand, which is in alliance with the Congress and NCP (SP) under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), won only 20 seats. The Mahayuti won the polls with 230 seats, while MVA managed to win just 46.
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