Champa Singh Thapa being felicitated by Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde on Monday after joining the Shinde camp. (Express Photo)Champa Singh Thapa, who was an assistant to the late Bal Thackeray, joined Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction of the Shiv Sena on Monday.
Thapa was greeted and felicitated by Shinde in Thane’s Tembhi Naka area, where the chief minister had gone to participate in a Navratri procession.
Thapa served Thackeray till his last breath and was also one of those at Matoshree who were close to the Sena founder. He could be seen with Thackeray at every occasion and was seen with Uddhav Thackeray at his father’s funeral in 2012.
Thapa told the media that he had sided with Shinde because the chief minister followed Balasaheb’s ideology.
When the media asked whether he did not like Uddhav’s ideology, Thapa said, “I don’t know about their ideology, but I felt that I should join Shinde saheb, so I came here and joined him.”
Political analysts say that even if Thapa’s move is not a jolt to the Uddhav faction, it is a symbolic victory for the Shinde camp.
“With this, the Shinde camp would be able to show that even Balasaheb’s closest person has joined them by leaving Uddhav Thackeray,” said a political analyst.