Maharashtra Politics: Shiv Sena Factions Escalate War Of Words With Acronyms & Nicknames

Mumbai: The slugfest between Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena has now entered its snarkiest season yet, with both sides unleashing a torrent of barbed abbreviations. Forget fiery speeches—this battle is now being fought with alphabets.

Shiv Sena-UBT Leads The Charge In Acronym Artillery

Leading the charge in acronym artillery are Uddhav and his son Aaditya Thackeray, who have started calling Maharashtra’s Deputy CM A Sam Shi, a clipped and cleverly caustic version of Eknath Sambhaji Shinde. The term may sound like a new-age tech start-up, but make no mistake—it’s a not-so-subtle swipe meant to strip the rebel of his borrowed Bal Thackeray aura.

Since the dramatic party schism of June 2022, the Thackeray camp has peppered its campaign with words like gaddar (traitor) and khoke (a reference to alleged crores that greased the split). But now, instead of counting khokes, they're counting syllables. Not to be outdone, Shinde has returned fire with acronym ammo of his own—asking whether UT (Uddhav Thackeray) actually stands for Use and Throw. Subtle? No. Effective? Possibly. Kindergarten playground politics? Absolutely.

Shiv Sena-UBT Functionary Explains The Latest Name-Shaming Campaign

A Shiv Sena (UBT) functionary explained the latest name-shaming campaign is aimed at Shinde’s constant invocation of Bal Thackeray’s name, despite having taken the party name, the election symbol, and—let’s be honest—the rug from under Uddhav’s feet. “Let him use his own father’s name if he wants to start a party. Why hijack Balasaheb’s legacy?” the leader said, pulling no punches. This tradition of taunting opponents with nicknames isn’t new for the Thackeray clan.

Bal Thackeray, the patriarch and pun-master general, had earlier reduced political heavyweights like Narayan Rane and Chhagan Bhujbal to caricatures through cutting monikers that stuck like haldi to a white kurta. “It’s a Thackeray trademark—once you're out of the family fold, you lose the privilege of being addressed properly. No full names for full-time betrayers,” said another party loyalist. Meanwhile, Shinde has continued to troll Uddhav with his own pet phrase—work from home.

As CM during the pandemic, Uddhav rarely left his fortress Matoshri, drawing flak for running the state like a reclusive CEO, far from the chaos of Mantralaya. Now, with the Shiv Sena battle morphing into a linguistic boxing match, we’re left wondering what’s next—emoji warfare? Hashtag duels? Or a rap battle, perhaps? One thing’s for sure: when it comes to this Shiv Sena split, the politics may be bitter, but the puns are delicious.

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