Eknath Shinde retains Uddhav Thackeray as president while forming new national executive

New Delhi, July 19: Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde who anointed himself as the chief leader of the Shiv Sena also announced a new national executive of the party comprising the rebels.

Shinde however decided that Uddhav Thackeray would continue as the president of the party in the new national executive.

On Wednesday the Supreme Court would hear a batch of petitions filed by the Shiv Sena factions. The new move gains significance because 12 of the 19 Sena MPs have supported Shinde's move to dissolve the national executive and reconstitute it.

Surprisingly the new move has not been rejected by Uddhav Thackeray who the rebels want to use as a mere figurehead.

Uddhav Thackeray has been retained as the party president, but Shinde will be the chief leader. Other organisational appointments, including the appointment of Anandrao Adsul, Ramdas Kadam as the party's leaders have also been approved, a leader from the Shinde camp said. Tanaji Sawant, Gulabrao Patil, Uday Samant, former MP Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil, Yashwant Jadhav, ex-bureaucrat Vijay Nahata and actor Sharad Ponkshe have been appointed as the deputy leaders while MLA Deepak Kesarkar has been made the party's chief spokesperson.

This move to retain Uddhav Thackeray is a clear indicator that Shinde is sticking to his guns that it has not split from the Shiv Sena, but represents the true ideology of Hindutva.