Shinde, Uddhav Battle for Bal Thackeray's Legacy as Maharashtra's Politicians Pay Tribute

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Maharashtra's politics is still grappling with the legacy of Bal Thackeray, the founder of the Shiv Sena, who passed away in 2012. As the state marks the birth centenary of the influential leader, Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray are locked in a battle for control of the party and its ideology. Shinde, who split from the Shiv Sena in 2022, has been trying to claim Thackeray's legacy for himself, visiting the party's headquarters in Colaba and paying homage at the Thackeray memorial in Dadar. He also announced a slew of government schemes to mark the occasion. However, Uddhav Thackeray, the current leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), a faction of the party, is trying to rebrand the Shiv Sena as a more inclusive and constitutional party. In a speech to party workers, he said, "The BJP is wrong if it thinks it can finish the Shiv Sena (UBT). It's not a party but an idea.