Mumbai, July 24: Facing existential threats due to the high-profile defections by six Lok Sabha MPs who joined the Eknath Shinde faction, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray is deploying a three-pronged approach to save the party, i.e. ideological reclaiming, issue-based youth mobilisation, and constitutional litigation.

Rather than playing defence after losing key party members, the Sena (UBT) is attempting to shift the political momentum back onto the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti/NDA coalition.

Thackeray has raised the issue of financial irregularities in the Shri Ram Temple donations by launching a statewide “Ram Raksha” campaign and a “BJP-free Ram movement.”

This is important as Hindutva has traditionally been the BJP’s sole ideological moat. By questioning the financial integrity of the Ram Temple movement and demanding accountability for donations (especially the silver bricks), Thackeray has targeted the BJP’s core voter base.

It forced the BJP onto the defensive on its home turf. Challenging the BJP in its ideological citadel of Nagpur, is designed to signal to traditional Sena voters that the UBT faction has not abandoned its core ideological roots despite political realignments.

Visiting Jantar Mantar, condemning the police lathi-charge on NEET paper leak protesters, comparing the government to Colonial rulers, and setting up free legal aid cells, Thackeray for a while has changed track beyond the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s traditional hyper-ethno-nationalist and religious appeal to retain relevance among younger, urban, and middle-class voters.

Joining student protests Uddhav Thackeray highlighted governance failures in education, exam integrity and state heavy-handedness. The comparison to Colonial rule and past democratic precedents like Indira Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, aimed to frame the ruling alliance as autocratic, thus appealing to neutral and youth voters affected by systemic administrative failures.

While the SC declined an interim stay on July 22, 2026, obtaining show-cause notices against the Speaker, Secretariat, and rebel MPs keeps a legal sword hanging over the Shinde faction. Legally, it tests the boundaries of the anti-defection law regarding split vs merger provisions when an original party maintains its independent legal identity.

Politically, it framed the rebel MPs as opportunists who betrayed the public mandate under which they were elected. Historically, the split between Uddhav and Raj Thackeray fragmented the traditional Sena voter base in the Mumbai-Thane-Konkan belt.

Re-aligning with Raj Thackeray creates a formidable regional bloc. It consolidates the Marathi vote in upcoming civic body (BMC) and state-level contests, presenting a unified front that is difficult for national parties to divide.

While Thackeray’s aggressive posture has created immediate momentum, several vulnerabilities remain. The ongoing defection of elected MPs/MLAs undermines organisational stability at the constituency level, even if public sympathy favours the UBT faction.

Political observers said that balancing hardline Hindutva messaging through Ram Temple campaigns with broader social/youth issues and coalition politics requires careful calibration to avoid alienating either traditional nationalists or secular alliance partners.

Constitutional litigations in the Supreme Court often stretch over long periods. Without immediate legal stays, the political reality on the ground (recognised mergers) can become difficult to reverse practically before major election cycles.

However, Thackeray through his recent actions signals that his party is refusing to be sidelined into regional irrelevance. By combining ideological counter-attacks, constitutional challenges, youth mobilisation, and tactical regional unity, he is attempting to frame the broader conflict as a fight for democratic accountability and local identity against centralised power.

Mumbai, July 24: The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Friday said that following nationwide outrage and escalating protests regarding the NEET examination paper leak, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has finally broken his silence on the issue.

Addressing the growing public anger, PM Modi stated that the interests and future of the nation’s students remain the government’s top priority and assured strict action against those responsible. “No individual playing with the future of students will be spared,” the Prime Minister asserted, promising the setup of fast-track courts to ensure swift justice and stringent punishment for the culprits.

However, the party, in an editorial in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, sharply criticised the timing and mode of the Prime Minister’s announcement, noting that PM Modi chose to post his statement on social media platform ‘X’ rather than addressing Parliament or directly engaging with the protesting students.

The editorial said the announcement comes amid intense demonstrations led by students and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi over the past two months. Protesters have faced police lathi charges while demanding accountability and systemic reform in the national examination system. “Protesting students have dismissed PM Modi’s assurances as a mere “bandage on a paper leak” and termed the promises of fast-track courts as “empty rhetoric”, it added.

“Had the PM demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan before announcing fast-track courts, his promises might have carried weight. Instead, none of this transpired, leaving his statements looking like mere “castles in the air”. The scepticism of the protesting students is justified; no one is confident the Prime Minister will deliver on his promise. Throughout his 12-year tenure, he has either maintained silence on critical national issues or undermined his own assurances,” commented the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.

According to the editorial, critics and opposition voices have highlighted that despite reports of 152 paper leak incidents over the past decade during the Modi administration without significant action, it was only the 153rd leak — and the resulting nationwide fury — that forced an official reaction. The editorial raised several critical points regarding the administration’s handling of the crisis.

“The Prime Minister failed to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who holds primary responsibility for the ministry. While promising strict action against perpetrators, the administration has simultaneously imposed the National Security Act (NSA) in Delhi to curb demonstrations, drawing sharp criticism over its handling of public dissent,” said the editorial.

The editorial remarked that as public dissatisfaction grows over the ruin of millions of students’ and parents’ aspirations, critics are not sure whether these commitments will result in concrete reforms or simply remain unfulfilled promises.

Mumbai: Due to the Maharashtra bandh in Mumbai Shivaji Park, Kurla, Chambor, Chunabhatti, Mankhurd and other suburban areas, the VBA took out a protest demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan. Meanwhile, the police detained protesters from Chembor, Kurla and other areas and later released the protesters. The normal system in Mumbai remained affected due to the Maharashtra bandh, but schools, colleges and public transport were running as usual. Along with this, in the Kurla area of ​​Mumbai, women protesters took to the streets and blocked the road in protest against the Net Paper Leak issue, due to which the traffic system was affected. Later, the police removed the women from the road and normal life returned to normal. The Maharashtra bandh has affected normal order in various areas of Mumbai. The Thackeray brothers and Amit and Aaditya Thackeray have also supported the protesters in Shivaji Park. Now the Thackeray brothers have made it clear in the press conference that they will march on July 26. If anyone tries to create chaos or stone pelting or violence like Delhi, they will not be tolerated and the MNS will respond to it. Along with this, Raj Thackeray has announced a peaceful protest and has threatened the government that if any attempt is made to create unrest in this protest, it will be responded to. Today, several protesters and leaders were detained during the protest.

Police driver threatens to implicate students in drug case
After the video of Shivaji Park threatening to implicate students in drug case went viral, an inquiry has been started against the constable in this matter and in this matter, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that the inquiry of the constable is going on and he has been removed from here. It is unfortunate that the video has gone viral in this matter. Devendra Fadnavis said that under the guise of this protest, Uddhav Thackeray is trying to save his existence. He said that in Maharashtra too, the paper has been leaked in the Uddhav Thackeray government.