Bhakt Versus Blood

In Thane's Kopari-Pachpakhadi assembly constituency, three-time winner Eknath Shinde will face-off against his mentor Anand Dighe's nephew, Kedar

- Shweta Desai

IN Mumbai’s twin city, another bursting-at-its-seams megapolis, Thane, a departed leader’s legacy is at the heart of an interesting electoral face-off.

Photos of the brooding-eyed and bearded Anand Dighe, a former Sena strongman, stare from rival poll banners featuring both Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the current head of the ‘original’ Shiv Sena, and his main electoral contender, Kedar, Dighe’s 44-year-old nephew, who is contesting from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction.

The two are vying for control of the Kopari-Pachpakhadi constituency, a traditional stronghold of middle-class Maharashtrian families, including residents of old gaothan areas, emerging high-rises, and slum settlements—and, of course, for Dighe’s political legacy. Dighe was a guru and Shinde his bhakt, while Kedar is eager to tap into his late uncle’s social and political legacy.

“I don’t need to release two movies to showcase my relationship with Dighe saheb. He is my uncle and I’ve performed his last rites,” Kedar (42) says, mentioning Dighe’s untimely death in 2001. The legacy of the late Anand Dighe has taken centre-stage in Marathi cinema over the past few years, marked by the release of a two-part biopic. The first film, Dharmaveer, released in 2022 just before Shinde’s rebellion from the Shiv Sena, was followed by its sequel, Dharmaveer: Mukkam Post Thane, launched ahead of the upcoming assembly polls. Both films depict Dighe’s life journey and position Shinde as his rightful political heir.

“Shinde may claim to be Dighe’s political heir, but this decision has to be made by the people,” Kedar remarks, adding that the CM has been misusing Dighe’s name and photos in order to promote himself.