The decision of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) to support the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has reshaped the local power dynamics and sparked debates. This unexpected alliance is headed by former MNS MLA Pramod Ratan Patil, and the party claims that the state leadership had given local units the freedom to act based on ground realities.
Patil’s move, however, seems to have strained relations between Shinde Sena and Shiv Sena UBT led by Uddhav Thackeray, who had shared stage with MNS chief Raj Thackeray in Worli, declaring a reunion after two decades for the Marathi cause.
Who is Raju Patil?
Pramod Ratan Patil, 51, or Raju as he is popularly known, hails from Katai village near Dombivli and comes from a politically active family. He is the youngest of four brothers whose father was a union leader. His elder brother Ramesh Patil entered politics first, winning a Zilla Parishad seat in 2007 as a Congress candidate and then becoming an MNS MP in 2009, paving the way for Raju.
Raju initially ran the family’s cable and pharmaceutical business before entering electoral politics. He won an unopposed Zilla Parishad election vote in 2009 and joined the MNS, contesting the 2014 Assembly elections against Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Shinde and garnering over 1.22 lakh in a losing cause. In 2019, following his brother’s fallout with the MNS party, Patil won the MLA seat, becoming the only MNS representative in the state assembly.
Political relations
Patil remained a staunch loyalist to MNS founder Raj Thackeray even as the party resisted dissent and defections. Considered close to Raj Thackeray, he enjoys more freedom than most MNS leaders in managing the party’s Kalyan unit.
Its ties with the Shiv Sena, led by Shinde, have traditionally been strained. Patil contested the elections against Shrikant Shinde and says Shiv Sena leaders often obstructed his work. At the same time, he maintains a cordial relationship with BJP state chief Ravindra Chavan and both live in the same complex in Dombivli. On the eve of the municipal corporation elections, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided his brother’s residence.
Patil’s reasons
Political jockeying in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation has intensified recently, with fears of defections and uncertainty over control of key posts and statutory committees. In this context, five MNS corporators formally extended their support to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde announced that the two parties would now be part of the governance arrangement in the civic body.
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Former MNS MLA Raju Patil, who led the negotiations, said the decision was driven by instability in the corporation and concerns over governance.
“In the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation, the BJP has 50 corporators and the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) has 53. For the past few days, a political game was going on. Number-crunching and horse-trading had begun and there was a real possibility of chaos during the upcoming committee elections. In such a situation, we support the Shiv Sena to ensure stability,” Patil said.
When asked what the MNS would gain by aligning itself with the ruling side, Patiled emphasized that the party’s priority was carrying out civic works. “If development work is carried out in our districts, that in itself will be a big gain for us,” he said.
On whether Raj Thackeray had been informed, Patil said the post-poll scenario forced a rethink. “We fought the elections as allies, but soon after the results, some corporators disappeared. At that time, we were worried about the corporators on both sides. The people of Kalyan-Dombivli are fed up with the defection politics, and this decision was taken keeping this in mind,” he said.
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Patil added that he had informed MNS chief Raj Thackeray about the local arithmetic. “When we explained the KDMC figures to Raj Thackeray, he gave us the authority to take decisions at the local level. With just five corporators, we could not have done justice to the people by sitting in the opposition. If we remain in power, we can at least act as a check,” he said.
Patil’s decision to ally with the Shiv Sena for now remains inexplicable and has strained relations with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, which is asking MNS to reconsider its position.
“We will not take any stand that helps those who have betrayed Maharashtra. Raj Thackeray is also not such a leader and hence our stand is clear. The Kalyan-Dombivli issue is a matter of grave concern. They say it is a decision taken at the local level. However, if any party leadership takes a stand that goes against the party’s ideology and core principles, the leadership must act,” said Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut.