Eknath Shinde: In The Age Of Betrayal

Unlike his rivals, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde did not launch his campaign for the upcoming elections with dusty rallies, chest-thumping speeches or fiery public confrontations with political opponents. The former autorickshaw driver, who fought his way from Thane바카라�s subaltern corners to the top of Maharashtra바카라�s political ladder, could well have started his electoral outreach much before his allies and rivals on the silver screen.

Dharmaveer, a two-part Marathi biopic about Shiv Sena바카라�s suburban giant Anand Dighe, Shinde바카라�s mentor, depicts his rise to power and his close bond with Dighe. But one scene, which perhaps, inadvertently, reflects Dighe바카라�s and the undivided Sena바카라�s stance on political gaddars (traitors), visibly chafes against the film바카라�s sympathetic and saccharine-dipped portrayal of Shinde. Midway through the film, a tense moment highlights Dighe바카라�s reaction to political betrayal in a mayoral election in Thane in 1988, where Sena candidate Prakash Paranjpe lost by one vote due to defection. Enraged, Dighe mutters, 바카라�gaddaranna kshama nahi바카라� (traitors deserve no mercy), as Shinde and other Sena workers watch. Dighe then orders his men to chase and punish the traitors. This cinematic moment mirrors the real-life consequences of betrayal within the party. Shinde has faced this challenge since 2022, when he and other party MLAs rebelled against the Sena leadership, toppling the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and plunging Maharashtra into political turmoil.

The rebellion occurred soon after the premiere of the movie in May that year when Shinde was serving as urban development minister in the Thackeray-led cabinet. After a dramatic nine-day crisis, Shinde staked his claim to form a government with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), becoming Maharashtra바카라�s 26th CM. However, the label of 바카라�gaddar바카라� (traitor) continues to stick to him.

바카라�Someone like Shinde, who was a rickshaw driver, was made a corporator, then leader of the House, an MLA three times and a high-ranking minister by the Shiv Sena. For 23 years, the party gave him everything, and in the end, he backstabbed the Sena for the CM바카라�s post,바카라� accuses Rekha Khopkar, a three-time corporator and leader of the Sena (UBT) women바카라�s wing in Thane. 바카라�What else shall we call such a person if not gaddar? It바카라�s not just me, but all true sainiks feel the same,바카라� she adds.

As a first-time corporator, Khopkar witnessed the 1988 incident from close quarters, when Dighe unleashed his brand of justice on a Sena gaddar after the Thane mayoral elections, as depicted in Dharmaveer. She believes Shinde would never have dared to break from the Sena if Dighe were alive. While many Thane-based Sena members have joined Shinde바카라�s faction, Khopkar remains loyal to the original party under Thackeray.

The film바카라�s second installment, Dharmaveer: Mukkam Post Thane, released just before the assembly elections, portrays Dighe as a formidable leader, positioning Shinde as his rightful successor.

For loyalists of the Sena and the Thackeray family like Khopkar, Shinde is nothing more than a traitor. From Uddhav and his son, MLA Aditya Thackeray, to senior leaders and grassroots workers, Shinde has been branded a gaddar, with his party labelled a 바카라�fake바카라� Sena. The slogan 바카라�50 khoke, sab okay바카라� (With 50 crore, everything바카라�s okay) has tarnished his reputation, fuelling speculation that Shinde sold his loyalty at a price.

The rise of a common sainik (Shiv Sena footsoldier) from Thane바카라�s Kisan Nagar, who once drove an autorickshaw for a living, to becoming the chief minister surprised many, including his closest associates. Yet, none doubted Shinde바카라�s ability to lead Maharashtra under his Sena faction바카라�s leadership.

바카라�Jo jatyat sinha asto toh jikde basto tikde sinhasan nirman karto (One with the nature of a lion creates a throne wherever he sits),바카라� says Anita Birje, a veteran Sena leader from Thane and chief of Sena (Shinde group) women cell. 바카라�Bhai (Shinde) has done the same. He created a throne for himself through sheer daring.바카라�

According to Birje, Shinde바카라�s reserved and meek demeanour tends to mask the 바카라�raging lion바카라� within him that emerges in the face of injustice. 바카라�Bhai was raised as a sainik on Bal Thackeray바카라�s ideology and under Dighe바카라�s mentorship. He always had a deep passion to serve society and fight against injustice,바카라� says Birje, a Shinde loyalist for decades. Birje initially disapproved of Shinde바카라�s rebellion that split the Sena and unseated Thackeray. However, after meeting Shinde and hearing his account of injustice under Uddhav, she joined Shinde바카라�s faction.

Shinde has stated in multiple interviews that he rebelled due to Uddhav바카라�s mistreatment of the Sena cadre and betrayal of Bal Thackeray바카라�s Hindutva ideology by allying with the Congress and the NCP. 바카라�Uddhav wanted only 바카라�Yes Boss바카라� culture... I was also sidelined by his son Aditya Thackeray,바카라� the chief minister has maintained.

Shinde began his political journey in the early 1980s as a young Sena worker in Thane바카라�s Kisan Nagar and Wagle Estate, areas where the party had little presence. At that time, Dighe was the dominant strongman of Thane, feared yet loved for his raw emotional connection with the people and his penchant for delivering swift justice. A militant leader and cultural figure akin to Robin Hood, Dighe safeguarded local interests with his band of handpicked Sainiks. Milind Ballal, the editor of Thane Vaibhav, a local newspaper, recalls Shinde as one of many young men mentored by Dighe, who identified and groomed leaders throughout Thane.

In Dharmaveer, Sena leaders describe Shinde as a diamond and Dighe as a johari (jeweller) with a knack for finding precious gems.

Ballal remembers Shinde as a modest, grassroots leader who established his potential under Dighe바카라�s leadership and proved himself to be a resourceful party worker.

Dighe, influenced by Bal Thackeray, never contested elections or held political office. Like his mentor, he wielded power behind the scenes, focusing on building Shiv Sena바카라�s organisation and grassroots cadre. He played a key role in the party바카라�s first electoral victory in the Thane Municipal Corporation, where Shinde was elected as a corporator and leader of the house.

Following Dighe바카라�s sudden death in 2001, Shinde emerged as the unofficial heir to his legacy. Unlike Dighe, Shinde pursued higher electoral positions, progressing from shakha pramukh (branch head) in Kisan Nagar to corporator, MLA, cabinet minister and as Thane바카라�s guardian minister.

바카라�Shinde understood very early on that one can build the organisation without sacrificing electoral ambitions, like Dighe did. And that was a game-changer in elevating his political career,바카라� Ballal says, adding that Shinde realised that one has to stay in the system to get things done for the people and the organisation.

In his first address as CM in July 2022, Shinde broke down, recalling Dighe, who the chief minister said, had revived his political career after the tragic loss of his two children in a boat accident. Shinde shared how Dighe comforted him after the tragedy and urged him not to give up on politics during that emotionally turbulent time.

바카라�My family was destroyed. I was heartbroken. I only wanted to live for the sake of my family. Dighe saheb visited me five times바카라� I told him I can바카라�t do justice to your organisation. But he advised me to swallow this bitter pill and march on.바카라�

Shinde바카라�s tenure as chief minister has been anything but smooth. Early on, he faced criticism for appearing subservient to former CM Devendra Fadnavis, the BJP바카라�s key figure in Maharashtra. Critics labelled him a 바카라�puppet바카라� and predicted political suicide after his split from the Sena. Many doubted his leadership, questioning whether he could establish credibility as Sena chief and lead with conviction.

However, Shinde silenced early sceptics by achieving strong results in the Lok Sabha elections, winning seven out of 15 contested seats for his Sena within the Mahayuti alliance. He solidified his hold in Thane, with victories for his son Dr Shrikant Shinde in Kalyan and ally Naresh Mhaske in Thane. In comparison, the BJP secured nine of 28 seats, while NCP (Ajit Pawar) won just one of four contested seats.

A jubilant Shinde joined the BJP바카라�s victory celebrations in Delhi with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Meanwhile, a disappointed Fadnavis, blaming himself for the BJP바카라�s narrow win, offered to resign as deputy CM. That election marked Shinde바카라�s evolution from a grassroots leader in Thane to a strong regional leader capable of delivering credible electoral performances and leveraging influence in the national capital.

He scored another political brownie point by refusing to nominate his son Shrikant Shinde, three-time member of parliament, for a union cabinet berth, proposing senior Sena MP Prataprao Jadhav instead.

Naresh Mhaske, the newly elected MP and former mayor of Thane, says he was always confident that Shinde would eventually make his mark and could not be overshadowed for long. 바카라�He could never be anyone바카라�s puppet. He imbibes Balasaheb바카라�s thoughts and principles,바카라� says Mhaske, who has been Shinde바카라�s political companion since they were youngsters.

바카라�In politics, it is believed that one has to come from an elite family background or (from) generational wealth. Shinde challenged that notion by rising from a struggling background to becoming the CM,바카라� he adds.

Riding on the success of the Lok Sabha elections, Shinde has turned his focus to the Maharashtra Assembly elections, crucial for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance to solidify its dominance in the industrially rich state.

With populist schemes, financial subsidies and infrastructure projects, the Mahayuti government appears to have pushed an appeasement agenda to win the polls at any cost. Shinde also championed the Mukhyamantri Majhi Laadki Bahin Yojana (MMLBY), offering Rs 1,500 monthly to women with low income. Birje credits Shinde for blending development with welfare, citing initiatives like the MMLBY and a 50 per cent travel concession for women. While these schemes have boosted Shinde바카라�s mass appeal, Ballal notes Shinde바카라�s strategic adaptability in the BJP바카라�s political landscape.

바카라�Shinde has learnt the tradecraft of the BJP바카라�s politics, while managing his hold on Sena. He has created a space for himself amid more seasoned and cunning BJP leaders, without surrendering Sena바카라�s fate in their hands,바카라� she maintains.

But the pitch for Shinde바카라�s own election from the Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency is a queer one this time. Shinde, Dighe바카라�s prodigy, faces Dighe바카라�s nephew, Kedar (Sena-UBT), in the late Dighe바카라�s fiefdom. The contest, according to poll analysts, promises to be an interesting one; pitching a shagird (student) against a kin of the man who바카라�s writ continues to run large in Thane, even posthumously. The latest political episode in the life and times of Eknath Sambhaji Shinde, may well contain enough substance for a third cinematic offering in the Dharmaveer movie series.