Edmund Burke, the father of modern conservatism, once remarked, “All government—indeed, every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue and every prudent act—is founded on compromise and barter.” Few in contemporary Indian politics have embodied this more than Uddhav Thackeray. To become the chief minister of Maharashtra, he dramatically reshaped his politics, severing ties with the BJP and forging an unlikely alliance with the Congress and NCP. However, with his party, its iconic symbol, and much of its cadre now firmly under Eknath Shinde’s control, many believe the mild-mannered Thackeray scion is running out of options.
The Kunal Kamra controversy
Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, known for his sharp political satire, recently found himself at the center of a political storm over his parody songs targeting Deputy CM Eknath Shinde among others. Without explicitly naming Shinde, Kamra referred to him as a gaddar (traitor) in a parody of the song Bholi Si Surat. Perhaps in a bid to provoke, he uploaded the video on YouTube.
The backlash was swift—Shiv Sena cadres ransacked Habitat, the venue where Kamra performed, and promised dire consequences if the comedian did not change his ways. The reaction appeared to have top-level sanction, with Eknath Shinde stating that while satire is understood, “there must be limits.” CM Devendra Fadnavis also indicated that legal action would be taken against Kamra.
Predictably, the Uddhav Thackeray faction defended the comedian, suddenly extolling the virtues of tolerance—despite its own chequered history. MLA Aaditya Thackeray labeled Shinde an “insecure coward” for reacting to a song, while Uddhav bluntly stated that “calling a traitor a traitor is not an attack on anyone.”
Uddhav’s political struggles
Uddhav’s anguish is understandable. His decision to align with the Congress and NCP in 2019 marked a seismic ideological shift. Yet, the BJP had the last laugh, engineering a split in the Shiv Sena in 2022 and installing Eknath Shinde as chief minister. While Uddhav’s faction and the MVA alliance stunned the NDA in the Lok Sabha elections, winning 30 of 48 seats, their joy was short-lived as the Mahayuti rebounded spectacularly, securing over 80% of assembly seats.
However, it is only now that Shinde seems to have cemented his hold over the Sena rank and file. The Kunal Kamra episode has served almost as a rite of passage, with the Shinde faction embracing the street-power tactics that once defined Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena. The party’s willingness to “teach a lesson” to a celebrity for crossing a perceived Lakshman Rekha harks back to an earlier era when the Sena dictated ideological discourse through strong-arm techniques.
Ironically, the man who now expresses solidarity with Kunal Kamra, even claiming to have the same DNA, had once threatened Shah Rukh Khan for defending Pakistani players’ participation in the IPL. Sanjay Raut had even asked the Bollywood superstar to move to Karachi to play cricket with Pakistanis as Shiv Sainiks violently protested against the actor’s My Name is Khan. While Uddhav confidante Sanjay Raut may have turned a new leaf, Sena’s cadres are unlikely to be as flexible.
Why Uddhav’s options are limited
Veteran political journalist Deepak Lokhande offers a scathing analysis of Uddhav’s predicament. He argues that Uddhav is pushed to the corners—BJP has seized the ideological space, while the Shinde faction has the financial muscle. From Ganesh Naik to Narayan Rane, the party’s deep-pocketed donors have defected. Even playing the Marathi Manoos card will yield limited benefits, as Raj Thackeray has already built a brand around it.
Contrasting the leadership styles of Uddhav and Shinde, Lokhande notes that the latter is far more generous in funding grassroots workers and excels at networking. He predicts that in the upcoming municipal elections in Mumbai (BMC), Shiv Sena (UBT) may opt to go solo to start from a clean slate. However, given the party’s long dominance in BMC, the average Mumbaikar might be reluctant to give them another chance. Meanwhile, despite sharing power in BMC for years, the BJP has successfully de-hyphenated itself from the old Shiv Sena brand and is now in pole position for a decisive victory.
Not all is lost
Not everyone agrees with this grim prognosis. According to Adv. Ruben Mascarenhas, Mumbai Working President of the Aam Aadmi Party, “Uddhav Thackeray has been wronged. The BJP stole his party, his symbol, and his MLAs. His politics is that of decency, and he hasn’t been cowed down by political vendetta. Given the politics of competitive violence followed by Shinde Sena and BJP, it is only a matter of time before the people of Maharashtra realize that the ruling regime needs to be shown the door.”
Ruben believes that the Shinde Sena was outmaneuvered by the BJP, which used the Aurangzeb issue to deflect attention from governance failures. He claims that the BJP has been giving Eknath Shinde the cold shoulder, forcing him to pick an easy target like Kunal Kamra. He also alleges that the police remained mute spectators during the vandalism and cites BMC’s swift action against Kamra’s venue as an example of the “misplaced priorities of the incompetent Devendra Fadnavis government.”
Mascarenhas further criticizes Fadnavis’s handling of law and order, pointing to the recent Nagpur riots and violence in Mumbai. According to a PTI report citing police sources, Maharashtra has witnessed over 800 communal incidents in just three months of 2025, suggesting a sharp deterioration in law and order in one of India’s most prosperous states.
National role for Uddhav?
Political commentator and former Congress leader Sanjay Jha offers a different perspective regarding Uddhav’s future. He sees Uddhav’s shift toward a “secular” image as an opportunity to reinvent himself as a national leader. Jha suggests that Uddhav could reshape Shiv Sena’s ideology to champion an inclusive Hindutva that aligns with India’s secular fabric. This, he argues, could attract a new voter base while retaining old supporters.
Jha is also optimistic about Aaditya Thackeray’s future, seeing ideological rebranding as the first step in building a new core for the party. He urges Congress to prove itself as a worthy ally by sending Rahul Gandhi and other leaders to Maharashtra in support of Kamra, reinforcing the MVA’s commitment to taking on the BJP.
However, Lokhande remains skeptical, noting that both Rahul and Aaditya suffer from what he calls the “urbane leader predicament”—a disconnect with rural voters due to a lack of grassroots experience. He also highlights how Rahul Kanal, who led the protest against Kunal Kamra, was once a trusted aide of Aaditya but has now switched sides. Overconfidence after the Lok Sabha elections and Mahayuti’s cash schemes for women ultimately tilted the assembly elections in the BJP’s favor, according to the veteran journalist.
The road ahead
For now, the Shinde faction shows no signs of backing down. Thane MP Naresh Mhaske has openly threatened Kamra, stating that the comedian “will not be allowed to roam freely in Maharashtra and India.” Some Sena leaders have even accused Kamra of being on Uddhav’s payroll. The Kamra issue may soon blow over, but it puts a marker on the type of politics the ruling regime is likely to do in the future.
Meanwhile, the Disha Salian death case files have been reopened at the behest of her father. Salian, the former manager of Sushant Singh Rajput, died just six days before the actor’s suicide. The FIR names Aaditya Thackeray among others, adding legal woes to the Thackeray family’s existing political battles.
Can the Thackerays weather this storm and position themselves as the dominant force for anti-BJP voters? The jury is out on it.
