Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde launched a sharp attack on Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray at the Dussehra rally on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, accusing him of betraying voters in 2019 and ascending to the Chief Minister's post through the 'back door'. The broadside came as Shiv Sena marked its 60th anniversary, with Shinde framing the occasion as a moment for farmer-focused governance rather than political point-scoring.

The 2019 Betrayal Charge

At the heart of Shinde's attack was the 2019 post-poll alliance switch, which he described as a 'blatant betrayal of voters.' He alleged that Thackeray contested the assembly elections in the name of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and then formed a government with the rival Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) — a move Shinde called 'the biggest vote theft' in Maharashtra's political history.

'You became the Maharashtra Chief Minister through the 'back door'. The biggest vote theft happened in 2019 when you contested elections in the name of the BJP and later formed the government with the Maha Vikas Aghadi. This is a severe betrayal of the voters,' Shinde charged at the rally.

Swipe at Rahul Gandhi

Shinde also targeted Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over the recent march to the Supreme Court, calling it an unprecedented and politically motivated move. He did not elaborate further on this point but used it to broaden his criticism beyond the Thackeray camp to the wider opposition bloc.

Farmer Focus as Political Counter-Narrative

Countering allegations levelled against his government, Shinde pivoted to agrarian distress, noting that Maharashtra is currently grappling with drought-like conditions. He positioned himself as a farmer's son attuned to grassroots hardship, asserting, 'I am not someone who just gives speeches; we are providers of ration. When I was Chief Minister, I bypassed bureaucratic norms to provide relief assistance to farmers. Taking care of farmers' children's education and weddings is Shiv Sena's responsibility.'

He defended an immediate financial assistance payout of ₹5,000 that critics had questioned, describing it as emergency relief rather than a permanent solution. The state government, he noted, has announced a ₹32,000 crore framework for comprehensive farm loan waivers — a figure he said reflects the administration's structural commitment to the rural economy.

Shiv Sena at 60: Tradition vs. Opposition Politics

Shinde drew a sharp contrast between what he called his party's service-oriented legacy and the opposition's alleged tendency to 'stage protests.' 'Have you ever even distributed a packet of biscuits to farmers? Their crops have withered away, and all you do is stage protests,' he said, directing the remark at political rivals. He added that he would let his developmental record answer critics rather than engage in 'daily verbal spats.' This comes amid intensifying electoral competition in Maharashtra, where the Mahayuti alliance — comprising Shiv Sena, BJP, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction — and the MVA remain locked in a battle for political legitimacy ahead of state elections. The Dussehra rally has historically served as a high-stakes platform for Shiv Sena factions to assert dominance and set the narrative for the electoral season ahead.