Maha: Amid Shiv Sena implosion, cadres loyal to Thackerays stage protests against rebels

The ongoing battle for the control of the Shiv Sena between party president Uddhav Thackeray and rebel leader Eknath Shinde played out on the streets of Maharashtra on Saturday with the cadres loyal to the Thackerays staging protests against the rebels by defacing their banners, hurling stones, and vandalising the office of an MLA in various parts of the state.

The ongoing battle for the control of the Shiv Sena between party president Uddhav Thackeray and rebel leader Eknath Shinde played out on the streets of Maharashtra on Saturday with the cadres loyal to the Thackerays staging protests against the rebels by defacing their banners, hurling stones, and vandalising the office of an MLA in various parts of the state. The Mumbai police has deployed its personnel at the city-based offices of various political parties and leaders, including ministers, MLAs and MPs, and their residences as a security measure, an official said on Saturday. The prohibitory orders issued by the city police under section 37 of the Mumbai Police Act in the first week of June will continue to remain in place till July 10. It bans the assembly of five or more persons at one place, he said. In Pune's Katraj area, Shiv Sena workers vandalised the office of rebel Shiv Sena MLA Tanaji Sawant, who is currently camping with other dissidents led by Eknath Shinde in Guwahati.

In Nanded city in the Marathwada region, Sena workers hurled stones at the residence of another dissident MLA, Balaji Kalyankar. 15 workers were detained by the police.

In Satara in western Maharashtra, Sena workers tried to stage a protest in front of the bungalow of Minister of State (Home) Shambhuraj Desai, who is also part of the rebel camp, around 1 PM, a police officer said. Police detained 11 Shiv Sena supporters under section 68 of the Maharashtra Police Act. They were released later. In Osmanabad city, also in Marathwada, Sena workers defaced the photo of Tanaji Sawant on the board of his office and staged demonstrations, the official said, adding that more than 30 persons were detained.

At Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, angry Sainiks burnt the effigies of three Shiv Sena MLAs from the Raigad district- Bharat Gogawale, Mahendra Thorve, and Mahendra Dalvi- who are accompanying Shinde in Guwahati. After vandalising the office of MLA Sawant in Pune, a Sena corporator said, ''the ransacking of Sawant's office is just the beginning and the offices of every traitor (rebel MLA) will be destroyed in the coming days''.

Reacting to the incident, Sawant, who represents the Paranda assembly constituency in the Osmanabad district, warned of a ''tit for tat'' response once the political crisis is resolved.

The protests were held by Sena cadres amid allegations by Shinde, who is camping in Guwahati with the dissident MLAs, that the Maharashtra government has withdrawn the security cover from the residences of 38 party rebels, including himself, and their families, and dubbed the action as ''political vendetta'', although Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil denied any such move.

Shinde tweeted a letter signed by him and other MLAs addressed to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Walse Patil.

In the letter, the legislators said the chief minister and the leaders of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance will be responsible if any harm is caused to their family members. In Mumbai, the instructions to remain alert and to provide security was taken at a meeting chaired by Police commissioner Sanjay Pandey, wherein senior officials including the joint police commissioner (law and order), additional commissioners and zonal DCPs were present, a Mumbai police official said.

Mumbai police are already on high alert to avoid any untoward incidents in view of the current political developments, he added.

In neighbouring Thane, prohibitory orders were issued in the district which will be in force till June 30.

Some people damaged the board outside the office of Shrikant Shinde, Lok Sabha MP from Kalyan in Thane district and son of Shiv Sena rebel leader Eknath Shinde.

A video showed some people throwing stones at the Ulhasnagar office of Shrikant Shinde and they can also be heard raising pro-Uddhav Thackeray slogans.

Yuva Sena workers tore a huge banner of Shinde in Nagpur's Mahal area. Meanwhile, scores of supporters of Eknath Shinde assembled near his house in the Thane district with saffron flags and large portraits of party founder Bal Thackeray and regional strongman the late Anand Dighe.

A bulk of MLAs of Shiv Sena led by Shinde are camping in Guwahati. Their main demand is that the Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, walk out of the Maha Vikas Aghadi of which NCP and Congress are constituents. The rebel MLAs have not quit the Sena, they said on Saturday and named their group ''Shiv Sena (Balasaheb).

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)