Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray has placed Hindutva back at the centre of his political messaging, using the controversy over donations to the Ayodhya Ram Temple to challenge the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The issue has given the former Maharashtra Chief Minister an opportunity to reconnect his party with the political legacy of his father and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray.

Uddhav launched the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Ram Raksha Andolan outside the Hanuman temple in Mumbai’s Dadar area on Sunday. During the event, he invoked the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and recalled Bal Thackeray’s association with the campaign. He also accused those responsible for handling donations connected to the Ayodhya temple of betraying the faith of devotees.

The campaign marks a notable shift in Uddhav’s political approach since his break with the BJP in 2019. In the years following the split, Hindutva was rarely placed at the centre of his political campaigns as he worked with ideologically different allies. The latest movement suggests an effort to reclaim a political space traditionally associated with the Shiv Sena founded by his father.

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The donation controversy has provided Uddhav with an issue through which he can question the BJP while maintaining a Hindutva-focused position. By raising concerns over the handling of contributions made by devotees, the Shiv Sena (UBT) is seeking to separate religious faith from the political and organisational leadership that manages institutions connected to the Ram Temple.

The campaign also carries significance in Uddhav’s continuing rivalry with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, whose faction has claimed to represent the original Hindutva identity of the Shiv Sena. Since the party split, both groups have competed for Bal Thackeray’s political legacy and the support of the Sena’s traditional voter base.

By launching the Ram Raksha Andolan, Uddhav appears to be attempting a broader political repositioning at a time when his party faces pressure from both the BJP and the Shinde-led Sena. The Ayodhya donation row has offered him an opening to revive Hindutva-oriented messaging, invoke his father’s legacy and challenge his rivals over who can claim to represent the Shiv Sena’s original ideological identity.

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