Eyebrows Raised After Shiv Sena Drops Bal Thackeray’s Photo From Election Ads

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posted on 5 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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The advertisement went viral on social media, with many questioning the decision. Upset Shiv Sainiks also raised the issue at Sena Bhavan at a meeting on Sunday.

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Sunday took out full page advertisements in several newspapers, including its own mouthpiece Saamana. The advertisements appealed to voters to bring the Sena back to power with a thumping majority.

But there was something amiss and eyebrows are being raised. That is because Shiv Sena has, probably for the first time, dropped the photo of founder Balasaheb Thackeray from an advertisement.

The advertisement went viral on social media, with many questioning the decision. “Saheb is absent from the photo. How is it possible? How our party did not put the photograph of Saheb in the ad?” an upset Shiv Sainik wrote on Twitter.

“He founded the party. It is for his call of Hindutva that many of us joined the party,” another told News18.

The full page advertisement, in saffron background, has Sena’s logo on the right lower corner. It features party president Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aditya Thackeray’s photos on the left lower corner.

“We should have a strong voice in power. For the farmers, for the youth, for the labourers, for women... for building a new Maharashtra! This is the time!” says the full page advertisement. Sources told CNN-News18 that upset Shiv Sainiks have also raised the issue at Sena Bhavan at a meeting on Sunday.

The assembly election in Maharashtra has brought many firsts for the saffron party. The Sena is fighting on 124 seats in Maharashtra, which is lower than the seats BJP is contesting (164) for the first time ever in their three-decade partnership.

This is also the first time that a Thackeray will fight the polls, with Aaditya Thackeray contesting from Worli constituency. The Sena has also pushed for him to be the deputy CM in the state as it finds harder and harder to pull the strings of power without a seat at the government’s table.

The poll campaign of the young leader has been designed around the tagline, ‘This is the time!’ The Sena has tried to reemphasise through its campaigns that it was time for the young leadership to take charge of things and to fight the battle on the ground.