Shinde is Shiv Sena’s chief leader, can appoint nat’l exec members: Kesarkar

Mumbai: The new national executive of the Shiv Sena, formed by CM Eknath Shinde’s faction on Monday, appointed rebel MLA Deepak Kesarkar as party spokesperson, former minister Ramdas Kadam (who quit as leader and was expelled from the party by the Uddhav camp on Monday) and ex-MP Anandrao Adsul as leaders, and ex-BMC corporator Yashwant Jadhav, ex-ministers Gulabrao Patil and Uday Samant, and Sharad Ponkshe, MLA Tanaji Sawant, Vijay Nahata and exMP Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil as deputy leaders. All the new appointees are Sena rebels who joined the Shinde faction and have been sacked by the Uddhav-led Sena.

-  Chaitanya Marpakwar

The Shinde faction’s national executive, purportedly the party’s new top decision-making body, met at a hotel in south Mumbai on Monday afternoon.

Sena MP Sanjay Raut claimed there was “no legal validity” to the national executive formed by Shinde. “They just played out ‘Comedy Express’ Season 2. Season 1 was played out in Mumbai in the state legislature. The people are laughing. This is Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, and the party president is Uddhav Thackeray. It is a recognised political party. They may have a number of MLAs and MPs, but how can they claim they are the Shiv Sena? They are a rebel faction. The sword of disqualification is hanging over the CM’s head,” Raut said.