Maharashtra political row: Both Shiv Sena shakhas wear empty, forlorn look

The cityrsquos ubiquitous Shiv Sena shakhas which have reflected the partyrsquos aspirations and mood over the years but have been impacted by its recent split wore a muted look on Thursday Many were shut while tension and joy prevailed as per interpretations of the Supreme Court order that came as a shot in the arm to the Eknath Shinde governmentmidday visited several shakhas across the city and found out that though there was a slew of reactions from the top brass of Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shindersquos factions in the wake of the Supreme Court verdict it was business as usual at the grassroot offices of the political partiesVikhroliThe shakha at Kannamwar Nagar in Vikhroli East run by the Shinde faction was shutWhen midday visited the shakha at Kannamwar Nagar in Vikhroli East the office was closed This office is run by supporters of Chief Minister Eknath ShindeDadarAlthough some karyakartas celebrated the Supreme Court order by bursting firecrackers at Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar those on the ground had mixed reactions Prashant Sawant a resident of Marol who was present at Shiv Sena Bhavan on Thursday told midday ldquoAt least in the wake of the apex court verdict now the Assembly speaker must follow the rules They should take decisions in an impartial mannerrdquo Another karyakarta said ldquoWe are hoping that the court will dissolve the present state government But that will not happen The speaker should act impartiallyrdquoAlso read Maharashtra political row Sena factions promise more actionWorli NakaSainiks seemed to be going about their daily chores at the Shiv Sena UBT shakha at Worli Naka A karyakarta said ldquoIn the morning we watched the news at the shakha It seem the court has also slammed the current governmentrdquo ldquoThere were celebrations at Shiv Sena Bhavan Most karyakartas from this shakha went there We did our routine work here such as meeting people and discussing local issuesrdquo he added The worker said he didnrsquot want to comment on what the Shiv Sena UBT would do now ldquoOur leader former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will decide We will follow his ordersrdquo he statedFormer local corporator Arvind Bhosle who was at the shakha said ldquoIt is clear from the observations made by the court that this government is unethical Shiv Sena has repelled many challenges so far We will face this challenge as well Our committed karyakartas can take on any situationrdquo Bhosle added Ankush Dalvi a karyakarta said ldquoI donrsquot want to comment about the court order Irsquom no expert We are all with the Thackeray family We are ready for all kinds of political situationsrdquoDahisarA barely inhabited Shinde Sena office at Dahisar PicsAnurag AhireWhen midday visited shakhas at Dahisar no one seemed to be overjoyed or dejected The shakha at IC Colony is one of the oldest and is always thronged by locals seeking solutions to daytoday issues Abhishek Ghosalkar an Uddhavloyalist and former corporator and MLA Vinod Ghosalkar run this office On Thursday only one or two officebearers were present at the shakhaThe Sena UBT Shakha at IC Colony wore an empty look on ThursdayAfter inquiring about the situation an officebearer said that everyone had gone to attend the wedding of a party worker A karyakarta said ldquoThe Supreme Court remarked negatively about the Shinde faction but ultimately decided in its favour It will demoralise our workersrdquo Another one added ldquoThe people are angry but we donrsquot think the elections will be conducted soon Thats their strategy But we are with the Shiv Sena UBTrdquoA few metres away there was a shakha apparently set up by the Shinde faction Asked about the facility a person said that only a board had been set up but no one comes here Another branch was opened by Sheetal Mhatre a leader of the Shinde Sena at the old Vitthal Rakhumai temple near the Dahisar subway It was one of the first shakhas of the Shinde faction and was inaugurated by MPs Shrikant Shinde and Dhairyashil Mane and MLA Prakash Surve on August 24 2022The Shinde Sena office near the Dahisar subway was shut and cops were posted outside itBut the office was closed on Thursday and two police officers were sitting in front of the downed shutter Mhatre was not available for comment A karyakarta from Dahisar who supports the Thackeray faction said ldquoEveryone had different predictions regarding the judgment The picture will become clear in a few days But I can only say that this is an unethical governmentrdquo