BJP and Shiv Sena wrest control of Thane District Central Cooperative Bank
The Bharatiya Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have joined forces to wrest control of the Thane District Central Cooperative Bank in Thane, outsmarting Vasai-Virar strongman Hitendra Thakur. Following a strategic post-election alignment, the two ruling parties successfully elected alliance nominee Arun Patil as the bank's chairman, ending the Thakur camp's previous control over the politically significant institution.
The struggle for control of the bank, which holds major political significance in both Thane and Palghar districts, began with the election of 21 directors to the board last week. In the lead-up to the polls, Thakur had teamed up with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and BJP legislator Kisan Kathore to form the Sahakar panel.
The Sahakar panel faced a direct challenge from the Parivartan panel, which was led by former BJP MP Kapil Patil. When the votes were counted, the Sahakar panel won a resounding 16 seats, while Kapil Patil’s Parivartan panel managed to win only four. One seat was won by an independent candidate.
Although Thakur's alliance with Shinde and Kathore seemed poised to secure his hold on the bank, the political script changed after the director elections. State BJP chief Ravindra Chavan held a meeting with Shinde, where the leaders of the two ruling parties decided to take full control of the bank's leadership.
The winning candidates from both panels who held affiliations to the BJP (eight directors) and Shiv Sena (six directors) came together. This combined group voted to elect the alliance nominee, Arun Patil, as the chairman, defeating Thakur's plan to retain his grip on the institution.
This development marks another chapter in the turbulent relationship between Thakur and the ruling alliance. In 2022, three MLAs from Thakur’s Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) supported the saffron alliance after Shinde split the undivided Shiv Sena. However, the alliance dumped the BVA two years later. While the bank election was initially viewed as a reconciliation effort between Thakur and the Shinde camp, the final outcome has left Thakur fuming and returned relations to square one.
