Fact Check: Is the man in the picture being blessed by Bal Thackeray, Eknath Shinde?

New Delhi, Jun 30: A image with the claim that Bal Thackeray is giving his blessing to rebel Shiv Sena leader, Eknath Shinde has gone viral on the social media.

This comes in the wake of Uddhav Thackeray stepping down as the chief minister of Maharashtra shortly after the Supreme Court directing the Maha Vikas Aghadi government to prove its majority on the floor of the house.

A black and white photo showing Bal Thackeray applying tilak to a man's forehead has gone vital. Those sharing the image claimed that Thackeray was applying tilak on the forehead of Shinde.

OneIndia can confirm that the person in the image is not Shinde but his mentor, Anand Dighe. The BBC Marathi had published this image in April. Dighe passed away in 2001. The same photo was also featured in Lokmat the Marathi daily this year.
On August 26 2021 the Shiv Sena posted a tweet paying homage to Dighe on his death anniversary with the same image.

Dighe was a follower of Bal Thackeray and the mentor of Eknath Shinde. Dighe died at the age of 50 following a massive heart attack and he has been referred to as the de-facto Thackeray of Thane.

Hence it can be concluded that the man in the photo being blessed by Thackeray is not Shinde but his mentor the late Anand Dighe.