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The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has for now decided to go solo in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Muncipal Corporation (BMC) polls, party leaders say. The Raj Thackeray-led party, however, hasn’t completely ruled out a tie-up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and CM Eknath Shinde-led Balasaheb’s Shiv Sena.
“So far, there is nothing concrete (on alliance). For now, we are planning to go on our own. (But) Politics is a game of chance. Anything can happen anytime. As of today, there is nothing like that,” senior MNS leader Nitin Sardesai told News18.
Talks of a tie-up between the three parties surfaced as Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and Thackeray met publicly on several occasions, after the Shiv Sena’s vertical split in June that altered the state’s political landscape. The three leaders shared the stage last week at a Diwali event organised by the MNS at Shivaji Park in Mumbai.
MNS leaders deny any political links to the meetings. “It’s the culture of Maharashtra that people meet each other in the festive season to greet. It is not necessarily for political talks,” Sardesai added.
BJP: NOTHING YET; WE DON’T MIND, SAYS SHINDE GROUP
The BJP maintains there are no formal proposals for a tie-up with the MNS on the table.
State higher and technical education minister and former Maharashtra BJP Chief Chandrakant Patil said last week: “There is no proposal yet for a tie-up between the BJP and MNS. There is no discussion. A proposal for an alliance has to first come up before the 13-member core committee, which takes a final decision after thorough deliberations. There is no decision yet.”
Leaders from the Shinde camp, however, say they are open to an alliance with the MNS.
“They (MNS) also have votes. It will definitely help us…What’s not to accept? We are taking Balasaheb’s ideology forward with us and if someone wants to join us, we have no issues. One plus one can definitely make two,” said Sada Sarvankar, an MLA from the Shinde group.
Mumbai | Maharashtra Deputy CM and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis meets MNS chief Raj Thackeray at his residence pic.twitter.com/mAbGvaLU3j— ANI (@ANI) July 15, 2022
All eyes will be on the Marathi votes in the BMC polls, which, experts say, hold the key.
“The MNS has some pockets here (Mumbai), where it won a large number of votes. It’ll be a problem (for the parties) if the Marathi vote splits three-way between the MNS, Shiv Sena and Shinde group. If the adjustment (seats) is sorted, Marathi votes, which account for 30-32%, will benefit them,” Desai said.
ANDHERI EAST BYPOLL
Thackeray’s letter to the BJP last month, urging the party to withdraw its candidate in the upcoming Andheri East bypoll against Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) group also sparked a buzz in political circles. The BJP eventually withdrew its candidate, Murji Patel, from the contest.
@mnsadhikrut चे अध्यक्ष @RajThackeray यांनी दादरला शिवाजी पार्क येथे आयोजित केलेल्या #दीपोत्सव सोहळ्यास उपमुख्यमंत्री @Dev_Fadnavis यांच्यासमवेत उपस्थित राहिलो. pic.twitter.com/Ok3cgf3cPp— Eknath Shinde – एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) October 21, 2022
Earlier, the MNS chief met Shinde at the latter’s official residence. The CMO tweeted that Thackeray met the Chief Minister for “over issues related to public health”.
The two leaders also visited each other during Ganesh Chaturthi.
The BJP, on its part, held separate meetings with Thackeray. Ever since he took charge as the Deputy CM, Fadnavis and a host of senior state BJP leaders have visited the MNS chief during the festive season.
HINDUTVA: THE CONVERGING POINT
All three parties, especially the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, vow to carry forward Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology of Hindutva.
The MNS, after a makeover in 2020, of what many call the party’s ‘secular image’ to a hardline Hindutva stand, aligned it ideologically more towards the BJP.
The party, however, hasn’t found any electoral success recently. It won only one seat in the 2014 and 2019 assembly elections. In the BMC, six of its seven corporators defected to the Shiv Sena in 2018.
pic.twitter.com/l2YHA0L3ad— Raj Thackeray (@RajThackeray) June 30, 2022
Additionally, the MNS also lost control of the Nashik Municipal Corporation in 2017, thanks to the BJP making inroads, by winning only five seats.
Born after Raj Thackeray’s exit from the Shiv Sena in 2005, the MNS in its initial years largely stuck to the Sena’s core issues of rights for the Maharashtrians and an anti-north Indian stand, before officially adopting Hindutva as its principal ideology.
DO-OR-DIE FIGHT
Known for fiery speeches like his uncle Bal Thackeray, political watchers say MNS chief’s rallies have failed to translate into votes. The upcoming polls have been termed as ‘do-or-die’ for the MNS chief, with a possible alliance giving them a slight chance.
“Hindutva plus Raj Thackeray’s charisma in addition to the support of the BJP, add all of this and the MNS can get a little success, not much,” senior political analyst Hemant Desai said.
Maharashtra | MNS chief Raj Thackeray arrives at the residence of CM Eknath Shinde in Mumbai pic.twitter.com/NCMNfshDy4— ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2022
He added: “The alliance (if it goes through) will be beneficial for all three parties. Raj Thackeray had an anti-establishment image. Earlier, he used to talk against the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party. Now, he has taken a softer line. Hindutva is still there, but he is not saying anything against this government.”
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