11 November,2024 08:09 AM IST | Mumbai | Sameer Surve
Rupesh Mhatre with CM Eknath Shinde; (right) Bharti Kamdi with CM Eknath Shinde
Both factions of the Shiv Sena are engaged in a sort of competition to bring each other's party workers into their respective camps. Each faction is attempting to weaken the other by attracting party workers to join their side. In the last three days, workers from Shinde's Shiv Sena faction in Worli have joined the UBT faction, while UBT's Palghar Lok Sabha candidate Bharti Kamdi has switched over to Shinde's Shiv Sena.
Kamdi had secured 4 lakh votes in the Lok Sabha election. The same day, two shakha pramukhs from Shiv Sena in Worli, along with their party workers, joined UBT. Shiv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray, who contested from the Worli constituency, now faces Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) candidate Sandeep Deshpande.
"I was not interested in contesting the Lok Sabha election. But as the party asked me to contest, I followed the order. I was willing to contest the Assembly election from the Palghar constituency, but the party gave the ticket to another person. Even party leaders don't have the courtesy to talk to me, and they didn't include me in the campaign. So, I decided to quit the party," said Bharti Kamdi.
Former two-time MLA of Bhiwandi, Rupesh Mhatre, joined the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Initially, Mhatre sided with UBT after the split in the Shiv Sena. However, grew upset because the Bhiwandi East seat was given to the Samajwadi Party in the seat distribution of Maha Vikas Aghadi, from where sitting MLA Rais Sheikh is contesting.
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UBT subsequently removed him from the party, and on Saturday, he joined the Shinde led Sena in the presence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
"The person leaving the party can make a difference if they have a strong hold on the electorate. However, 80 per cent of voters decide a month in advance who they'll vote for. Such party shifts mainly help create perceptions about the opposing political party," said political observer Abhay Deshpande.
Political observer Santosh Pradhan said, "These events primarily shape perception, with limited impact on voters. The influence also depends on the person's connection with the electorate."
