Uddhav Thackeray delivered a powerful speech at a party rally in Pune, launching scathing attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP leaders in the state, and the Shinde faction. His aggressive remarks seemed to signal the onset of a political battle, with one particular directive likely to stir significant unrest, especially in Mumbai.
Thackeray ordered his party members to remove the bow and arrow symbol from the signboards at all Shiv Sena branches and replace it with the torch symbol. "Remove the bow and arrow from the signboards and put up the torch symbol instead," he commanded the party officials and Shiv Sainiks. This directive is expected to spark disputes in areas where there is a strong presence of both factions, particularly in Thane and Mumbai. The state has previously witnessed clashes between officials of both groups over branch control.
As the state assembly approaches, the two factions of Shiv Sena will face off directly. In many constituencies, candidates from both groups will try to outdo each other. Following the Lok Sabha elections, the enthusiasm of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has increased, while the Mahayuti alliance is preparing to retaliate for the Lok Sabha defeat. The recent rise in harsh rhetoric between the Mahayuti and the MVA underscores this ongoing tension.