Its chief from the start, Aaditya Thackeray deploys Yuva Sena in the battle over cadre

Created by Bal Thackeray as vehicle for Aaditya, Yuva Sena is part of the Sena's problems, as per rebels

Maharashtra Minister and Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray waves at supporters as he leaves from Shiv Sena Bhawan after a meeting with party workers, at Dadar in Mumbai. (PTI)

With the battle between Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde now virtually a tussle over who controls the “real Sena”, one of the outfits rallying support at the Mumbai end is the Yuva Sena.

The youth wing of the party founded by Balasaheb Thackeray as the vehicle for grandson Aaditya in October 2010, who was then just 20, the Yuva Sena continues to be his baby. And as Aaditya takes on the Shinde faction from the forefront, so is the Yuva Sena, with rallies of party workers planned in every ward of the state, leading up to a meeting in the district, and campaigns being waged on social media.

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One such rally was held on June 25 at Birla Matoshri Griha in South Mumbai, with Aaditya addressing the ‘Yuva Sainiks’. In his speech, he called the rebel MLAs “dirt”, and said their leaving was good riddance. There will be two floor tests, he warned, one in the House (Assembly) and the other on the roads.

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“They (the Sena rebels) will have to land first at the airport, and remember the way to Vidhan Bhavan passes through Bandra, Worli, Parel and Byculla,” he said, hinting that the MLAs will have to face the Shiv Sainiks.

Aaditya is now holding rallies almost every day to interact with cadres that the party is trying to hold on to, and as per the party, has been drawing a good response.

Since the Yuva Sena was announced, by Thackeray Senior himself at the Sena’s marquee annual Dussehra rally, with the handing over of a sword to Aaditya, the latter has used it to build a profile for himself, while filling a crucial gap in the party’s support base. The Sena till then (and even now) was essentially a party of the working class, tapping into their fears and aspirations, and moulded for itself a rugged, aggressive image its base could identify with.

The Yuva Sena made its space instead in colleges and universities, particularly in the metro areas, and raised issues that matter to youths and students. It also has an IT cell. The cadre is projected as tech-savvy, modern and elite, as compared to the common Shiv Sainik who works at the grass-root level.

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Another reason for the formation of the Yuva Sena was to take on the earlier party youth wing, Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena (BVS), which was controlled by Raj Thackeray. When Raj left the Sena in 2005, almost all the BVS leaders and cadre switched sides with him, leaving the Sena virtually no presence in that space. The BVS itself had not done much to cultivate support on the campus.

With Raj Thackeray’s MNS seeing early success in the corporation and even Assembly elections of 2009, the Sena had moved quickly to anoint Aaditya, who was seen as more aggressive than father Uddhav.

Incidentally, one of the accusations levelled at Aaditya, who has headed the Yuva Sena since its formation, by rebels now is his endorsement of “progressive” causes that often go against the Sena’s own core.

Apart from Aaditya, cousin Varun Sardesai is active in the Yuva Sena. As are offspring of Sena leaders, MLAs, MPs and others. This has given it a heft and clout which other grass-roots cadres see as disproportionate to its work. The Sena rebels’ list of grievances include the positions cornered by the Yuva Sena in the party.