If I steal a bat and score more runs...:Aaditya Thackeray's jibe at Eknath Shinde

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray took a swipe at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde using a cricket analogy, questioning whether his faction’s greater strength among elected representatives gave it ownership of the party.Speaking at the India Today Conclave Mumbai 2026, Thackeray was asked about Shinde’s claim that the dispute over the “real Shiv Sena” had been settled because his faction had more MLAs, MPs and councillors.“Today if I steal your bat while playing cricket and score more than you, does the bat become mine?” Thackeray asked.When India Today TV’s Rajdeep Sardesai said a player with a stolen bat would still have to score runs, Thackeray challenged the Maharashtra Deputy CM: “That’s what I’m telling Eknath Shinde. Come try to score the runs with me.” The remarks come amid the legal battle over the Shiv Sena’s name and symbol.Uddhav Thackeray’s faction moved the Supreme Court against the Election Commission’s February 2023 decision to award the party name and bow-and-arrow symbol to Shinde’s camp.‘PARTY-HOPPING WILL NOT BE TOLERATED’ Asked about leaders leaving his party, Thackeray suggested that some defectors could be reconsidering their decisions. He argued that voters were growing tired of politicians switching sides after winning elections.“There’s a change coming, and this kind of politics where you win from one party and hop onto another will not be tolerated by people,” he said.Thackeray said people he met wanted candidates without political baggage or an interest in changing parties. He predicted that more young people without political backgrounds would emerge in the next elections.The defections and competing claims to the party trace back to June 2022, when Shinde led a rebellion that brought down Uddhav Thackeray’s government.Shinde subsequently became chief minister with BJP support, setting off a battle between the two factions over the Shiv Sena’s leadership, name and symbol.- Ends