Addressing the party’s 60th foundation day event in Mumbai, an emotional Thackeray said he was prepared to relinquish the top post if party members felt he had failed them.
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“I am ready to quit the party chief’s post if you don’t have trust and faith in me,” he told supporters.
Thackeray also defended his leadership against criticism that he had become disconnected from party workers, pointing to the party’s electoral performance.
“If I didn’t meet party workers or travel across Maharashtra, how did we win elections?” he asked.
The former Maharashtra chief minister used the occasion to attack the BJP, accusing it of trying to weaken and dismantle the Shiv Sena.”We have had sharp political differences with Congress, but it never tried to destroy Shiv Sena like BJP is doing,” he said.
Referring to defections from his party, Thackeray apologised to voters who had backed Shiv Sena (UBT) candidates in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but later saw some elected representatives switch sides.
“I apologise to electors who voted for Lok Sabha MPs who have now defected,” he said.
Thackeray also rejected criticism of his alliance with the Congress, arguing that his party’s decision to work with its former rival did not amount to a merger.
“If we didn’t merge with BJP after 30 years of alliance, how can we merge with Congress?” he said.
Warning about the state of Indian democracy, the Sena (UBT) chief alleged that the country was moving towards a “one party, no election” system, which he described as a threat to democratic institutions.
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The remarks come at a time when the party is grappling with internal challenges and defections, nearly four years after the split in the Shiv Sena that led to the formation of the Eknath Shinde-led faction.
(With inputs from PTI)
