Mumbai, Feb 21: The Shiv Sena led by CM Eknath Shinde will hold a meeting of its national executive on Tuesday. This will be the Sena’s first meeting after the Election Commission (EC) gave the party name and poll symbol to the Shinde group, recognising it as the real Shiv Sena.
Shinde Sena leaders said a new treasurer may be appointed at the meeting to replace MP Anil Desai, who is with the Uddhav Thackeray faction, among other new appointments. However, it wasn’t clear if the new national executive would elect a new party president.
Uddhav’s five-year term as Shiv Sena paksha pramukh (party president) ended on January 23. The Shiv Sena (UBT) had asked the EC for permission to hold their internal organisational elections or ad interim allow the current structure to continue and extend its term, but the EC had not given any order about this.
In July last year, soon after 40 MLAs defected, the Shinde faction had appointed a new national executive of the Sena. It appointed CM Shinde as the chief leader in the new executive, a newly- created post, along with appointments of leaders and deputy leaders. The Shinde faction claimed that with the new national executive declared, the old executive had been dissolved. However, the post of Sena party president held by Uddhav was left untouched.
While Shinde was appointed chief leader, minister Deepak Kesarkar was appointed spokesperson, former minister Ramdas Kadam and ex-MP Anandrao Adsul were appointed as leaders, and ex-BMC corporator Yashwant Jadhav, ministers Gulabrao Patil and Uday Samant and Sharad Ponkshe, minister Tanaji Sawant, Vijay Nahata and ex-MP Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil were appointed as deputy leaders.
