Eknath Shinde
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A brief biography
As in 2022 June
Manoj Badgeri, Chaitanya Marpakwar & Ranjan Dasgupta, June 22, 2022: The Times of India
From: Manoj Badgeri, Chaitanya Marpakwar & Ranjan Dasgupta, June 22, 2022: The Times of India
Thane: Eknath Shinde, who has engineered the biggest revolt to hit Shiv Sena in over 15 years, has been a die-hard Sainik since the 1980s. Even as he raised the banner of revolt, he signalled his commitment to the Hindutva cause and paid tribute to his mentors with a tweet, “We are Balasaheb’s staunch Shiv Sainiks. . . Balasaheb has taught us Hindutva…We will not compromise on the thoughts of Balasaheb and the teachings of Anand Dighe Saheb for power. . . ”
The four-time legislator and strongman represents the Sena heartland of Thane. Groomed by the late party firebrand Anand Dighe, he has had a steady rise in the party. Beginning as a shakha activist from the Kisan Nagar area, he was elected a corporator before becoming a MLA and cabinet member.
The 58-year-old native of Satara had a humble origin in a neighbourhood in Wagle Estate, the area he now represents. He started off in a private firm and worked as an auto driver before he caught the attention of his mentor in the 1980s.
Shinde’s ability to mobilise participation for Sena’s protests and welfare programs earned him Dighe’s trust. Be it participating in an agitation on the MaharashtraKarnataka border issue or against black-marketing of essentials, Shinde was at the forefront even as a shakha pramukh in Kisan Nagar.
Old timers in the party recall that Shinde had decided to quit active politics following a personal tragedy, but Dighe who had seen the spark in him, encouraged him to stay on. “Since then there has been no looking back for Shinde, he never allowed personal issues to affect his work to grow the party,” said a long time acolyte.
His first tryst with electoral politics was in 1997 when Dighe spurred him on to con- test the Thane corporation polls. He won by a decent margin. His work in the Thane corporation prompted Dighe to elevate him as Leader of the House, a post he served diligently for four years until he was given an opportunity to contest the assembly elections in 2004 from Thane city. His strong connection with grassroots ensured he won three subsequent terms consecutively from Kopri Panchpakhadi in the city. People close to Shinde say he has a feel for the pulse of the common man. His strategies have enabled the party to win various civic body polls over the last two decades not just in Thane but even in north Maharashtra. Observers recall how he weaned away 30 BJP corporators in the Jalgaon Municipal Corporation to help Sena win the mayoral polls last March despite BJP being in a majority there.
Shinde is also known as one of the few Sena leaders who reaches out to leaders as well as common citizens across the spectrum.
“Shinde often calls up leaders across parties to enquire about their wellbeing,” said a Sena functionary from north Maharashtra. A party colleague said Shinde shared a rapport with BJP leaders despite the strained ties between the erstwhile alllies. “BJP has never made allegations against Shinde or his departments. He has also remained out of the ED, CBI and IT radar till now indicating his rapport with BJP. ”
At the same time, Shinde was at the forefront in staunching dissidence within his own party until now. “There have been innumerable cases wherein he has stepped in in time and averted defections such as that of a prominent functionary who was wooed away by BJP in recent years,” said a party colleague. The fact that many seniors in the Thane Sena unit are standing by for his orders before they make their next move is a testimony to his popularity, said a colleague.
A senior leader said Shinde had lost patience now as he was being sidelined by certain elements within the party who felt insecure because of his popularity. “It was evident that he was not happy with the direction the party was headed in,” said the party functionary. Shinde’s misgivings about the Sena’s alliance with Congress and NCP and what he perceived as a steady erosion in the party’s traditional vote banks as a consequence are also the cause of the present rebellion.
