Speaking at the launch of a book on former Thane mayor Anant Tare on Saturday, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray declared that he regretted not listening to Tare in 2014. That was when, he said, Tare had advised him not to trust Eknath Shinde.
The background: In the 2014 assembly elections, Tare had rebelled against undivided Shiv Sena candidate Ravindra Phatak, who was contesting from Thane city. A three-time mayor of Thane, Tare wanted the seat for himself. However, Thackeray selected Phatak at the instance of Shinde, who was then the Thane district Shiv Sena chief. As the Shiv Sena and BJP were contesting against each other, Shinde had urged Thackeray to convince Tare to withdraw to avoid a split in the Sena votes.
Thackeray spoke to Tare, who told him that Shinde was not to be trusted and would one day betray him. “Had I listened to Tare, I would not have regretted later,” declared Thackeray in a candid admission. “Some people around us wear the mask of loyalty. Sometimes, it becomes difficult to identify them.” It is another matter that the BJP won the seat even though Tare withdrew from the fray.
Tare passed away in February 2021. His family members chose to remain loyal to Thackeray when Shinde split the party in 2022.
Union minister takes on Ajit Pawar
The election for the post of president of the Maharashtra Olympic Association (MOA) will see a direct fight between current chairman Ajit Pawar and union minister of state for aviation Murlidhar Mohol. While Ajit is seeking a fourth term, Mohol has challenged his dominance.
The November 2 election is also being seen as a shadow fight between the NCP and BJP. BJP leaders in Pune crib about Ajit Pawar and accuse him of high-handedness but have rarely confronted him. Given this background, it is significant that Mohol has challenged Pawar in a sports body.
A Maratha MLA from Pune, Mohol is also seen as a future leader of the BJP in western Maharashtra. He is also minister of state in the cooperation ministry, which is crucial for the region’s politics. Can he put an end to Ajitdada’s dominance in the MOA? We will know on November 2.
Kokate’s Gulf study tour
Controversies are still chasing NCP minister Manikrao Kokate even after he had to give up the agriculture portfolio following the infamous “rummy in the assembly” episode. The latest controversy that Kokate, now sports and youth welfare minister finds himself in, pertains to the tour of a sports department delegation led by him to Dubai and Qatar.
The delegation is touring the Gulf countries from October 8 to 14 and will visit Danube Sports World in Dubai and Aspire Academy in Qatar to study the latest sports infrastructure, training systems and explore opportunities for cooperation according to a Government Resolution (GR). The expenditure for the tour is being borne by the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune. Significantly, the GR was issued on October 8 but not put on the website immediately. Mantralaya officials are wondering how sports in the state will benefit with this six-day tour of ministers and some officers from Kokate’s department.
Bhujbal’s OBC agenda irks Ajit
NCP minister and prominent Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader Chhagan Bhujbal has once again become vocal about the rights of OBCs, and is helming a group of OBC leaders who are demanding that the Fadnavis government withdraw the September 2 GR it had issued. The GR allows Marathas to get Kunbi caste certificates on the strength of a mention in the Nizam-era Hyderabad Gazette and paves the way for their inclusion in the OBC category.
While Bhujbal has been vehemently opposing this and is also locked in a bitter verbal duel with Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, there is unease among the party’s Maratha MLAs. In a recent party meeting, NCP chief Ajit Pawar said, “Some people in the party are targeting a specific community, and the party has to pay the price for this.” Bhujbal, however, later told the media that the remarks were not aimed at him, and the party supported his stand.
Shinde’s banners for PMs
During the Narendra Modi-Keir Starmer visit to Mumbai last week, one could not help but notice the banners put up by deputy CM Eknath Shinde welcoming the duo to Mumbai. The banners were on the poles of streetlights along the road that the two prime ministers took. While the banners welcoming PM Modi were in Hindi, the ones for his UK counterpart were in English, probably to ensure that he understood what was written on them.