MUMBAI, Oct. 10 -- With the BMC and other local body elections around the corner, the Shiv Sena led by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde has launched the Sthaniya Lokadhikar Sena (SLS) to mobilise support among the Marathi people and expand the party's base. By launching the SLS at the Birla Matoshree Sabhagriha in Mumbai on Thursday, Shinde is cranking up the party's organisational machinery ahead of these crucial elections. Significantly, the SLS mirrors the Sthaniya Lokadhikar Samiti Mahasangh (SLSM) of the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Sena faction left after Shinde broke away from the parent party in 2022. The Sena (UBT) has successfully deployed the SLSM, the party's organisational backbone, in every election it has contested. On Thursday, Shinde appointed former MP Gajanan Kirtikar, the first to lead the SLSM, as head of the SLS. He also appointed his son and Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde as its working president. Addressing the gathering on Thursday, Shinde remembered how Sena founder Bal Thackeray established the SLSM in 1974, when the Marathi people were facing "injustice". He said, "We have seen the good and disciplined work of the SLSM. During elections, the SLSM worked backstage. This was a fight for the Marathi manoos." The Sena chief said that during natural disasters, the SLSM and Shiv Sainiks are always at the forefront. He said Bal Thackeray had always said he "would not let the Shiv Sena become the Congress" and that's why he had left the party. On getting the SLSL started, Shinde remarked, "All Sena MPs and MLAs from Mumbai and MMR have been asked to help the Marathi people get jobs and offer assistance in competitive exams. The Marathi people were lacking in these areas and needed guidance. I want the Sthaniya Lokadhikar Sena to increase the scope of their work and cover maximum units possible.''...