Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) launched a blistering attack on the ruling Mahayuti government on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi, accusing it of plunging Maharashtra into a deepening socio-economic and political crisis. In a hard-hitting editorial published in the party's mouthpiece Saamana on Monday, 14 September 2026, the Thackeray camp declared that the state's rulers have themselves become the single biggest 'vighna' — obstacle — facing Maharashtra and the country.

Festive Season Shadowed by Price Burden

The editorial catalogued steep hikes in the prices of sugar, milk, CNG, domestic LPG, petrol, and diesel, arguing that the common citizen's festive budget has been severely squeezed. Despite this financial strain, the daily acknowledged that devotees would still spare no effort to welcome Lord Ganesha with full devotion — framing public faith as a quiet act of resilience against governance failure.

Activist Assault and the 'Urban Naxal' Label

The editorial specifically highlighted the physical assault on Pune activist Vidyanand Bapat, who had publicly opposed high-decibel DJ systems at celebratory gatherings. Rather than addressing the underlying noise-pollution concern, the Thackeray camp claimed, the ruling establishment branded Bapat an 'urban Naxal' and an 'outsider'. The Chief Minister, it alleged, offered only evasive responses instead of decisive action — raising pointed questions about the state administration's priorities.

Agrarian Distress, Exam Scandals, and Governance Failures

Pointing to the severe impact of El Niño, the editorial warned of worsening drought conditions across Maharashtra. With Kharif crops wilting in scorched fields and deficient rainfall threatening the Rabi season, rural livelihoods are described as being in severe jeopardy, and farmer suicides, it noted, continue unabated. On the education front, the editorial criticised repeated paper leaks following the NEET and TET scandals — culminating in the leak of Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) papers that forced exam cancellations. The government's announced SIT probe and administrative reform pledges were dismissed as 'empty rhetoric', with the editorial asking who would answer for the shattered aspirations of thousands of young candidates.

Tilak's Legacy Under Threat

The editorial invoked the origins of the public Ganesh festival as conceived by freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak — a socio-political platform to unite communities against colonial rule. That founding vision, it lamented, is being steadily eroded by corporate takeover and shallow political grandstanding. The Thackeray faction further flagged rising crimes against children, roads in dangerous disrepair claiming lives daily, and the government's failure to enforce local Marathi language norms for non-native auto and taxi drivers.

A Direct Plea to Lord Ganesha

Concluding on a sharp note, Shiv Sena (UBT) asserted that Maharashtra — historically a standard-bearer of progressive thought for the rest of India — has been rendered directionless and pushed into the shadows of religious extremism by rulers it described as 'power-drunk and fanatical'. The editorial closed with a direct appeal to Lord Ganesha to bestow wisdom upon the public and deliver the state from its current afflictions. As Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations get underway, the opposition's salvo sets the tone for what is expected to be a charged political season ahead.