That's Shiv Sena Leader Anand Dighe With Bal Thackeray, Not Eknath Shinde
The photo shows Bal Thackeray with Anand Dighe.
The claim states that it shows an old photo of Bal Thackeray with Eknath Shinde.
(Photo: Altered by The Quint)
A black and white photo of Bal Thackeray with late Shiv Sena leader Anand Dighe is being shared on social media with a false claim that it shows the senior Thackeray with rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde.
The claim comes in the backdrop of the rebellion by Shiv Sena leaders, led by Eknath Shinde, which has led to the resignation of Uddhav Thackeray as the chief minister of the state.
The resignation came after the Supreme Court declined to stay the floor test called by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
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CLAIM
The photo is being shared on social media with the claim that reads, "In an old photo, Balasaheb Thackeray giving blessings by giving Tilak of Eknath Shinde (sic)."
An archive of the tweet can be seen here.
WHAT WE FOUND
A reverse image search on the photo led us to an article in Marathi daily Lokmat.
The caption of the photo read that it showed Thackeray with senior Shiv Sena leader Anand Dighe.
The photo showed Dighe with Bal Thackeray.
The photo was also used in multiple other news reports such as BBC Marathi, Loksatta as well as Sakal.
Further, we also found the image posted by Shiv Sena on Twitter on 26 August 2021.
The caption of the tweet translates to, "The memory of Dharmaveer Anand Dighe remains in the mind of every Shiv Sainik. Greetings on remembrance day."
The photo was posted on the official Twitter account of Shiv Sena.
WHO WAS ANAND DIGHE?
Shiv Sena leader Anand Dighe, also known as 'Dharamveer Anand Dighe,' was a senior leader in Shiv Sena. Shinde considered Dighe as his mentor who held a strong hold in the Thane-Dombivali and Kalyan belt.
He died of a cardiac arrest in 2001 following a car accident. He was 50.
Clearly, a photo of Bal Thackeray with Dighe is being shared on social media with the false claim that it is Eknath Shinde.
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