Politics

Dev-Sena or Shinde-Raj? MNS says no alliance talks with CM Fadnavis yet for epic BMC fight

November 1, 2022
Bharat Times

Party leaders say that the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has decided to fight alone in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections for the time being. The Raj Thackeray-led party, however, has not completely ruled out an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and CM Eknath Shinde-led Balasaheb’s Shiv Sena.

“So far nothing concrete (on the alliance) is there. For now, we plan to go on our own. (but) Politics It’s a game of chance. Anything can happen anytime. Till date, there is nothing like it,” senior MNS leader Nitin Sardesai told News18.

After the Shiv Sena’s vertical split in June, which changed the political landscape of the state, talks of an alliance between the three parties emerged after Shinde, deputy chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and Thackeray met publicly on several occasions. The three leaders shared the stage at a Diwali event organized by the MNS at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park last week.

MNS leaders deny any political connection to these meetings. “It is the culture of Maharashtra that people meet each other to greet during the festive season. It is not necessarily for political talks only,” Sardesai said.

BJP: Nothing now; We don’t mind, say Shinde group

The BJP says there is no formal proposal for an alliance with the MNS.

State Higher and Technical Education Minister and former Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said last week: “There is no proposal for an alliance between the BJP and the MNS as of now. There is no discussion. The alliance proposal has to first come before the 13-member core committee, which takes a final decision after careful deliberation. No decision has been taken yet.”

Read also | Ahead of Andheri by-elections, Uddhav Camp releases new song, vows to teach a lesson to ‘Backstabber’ Shinde

However, Shinde camp leaders say they are ready for an alliance with the MNS.

“They (MNS) also have votes. It will surely help us… What not to accept? We are taking Balasaheb’s ideology forward with us and we have no problem if anyone wants to join us. One plus one can certainly make two,” said Sada Sarvankar, an MLA from the Shinde group.

Experts say all eyes will be on Marathi votes in the BMC elections.

“There are parts of the MNS here (Mumbai), where it garnered a large number of votes. If the Marathi vote splits between the MNS, Shiv Sena and Shinde group in three ways, it will be a problem (for the parties). If the adjustments (seats) are sorted, the Marathi vote, which is 30-32 per cent, will benefit them,” Desai said.

Andheri East by-election

Thackeray’s letter to the BJP last month, urging the party to withdraw its candidate in the upcoming Andheri East by-polls against the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) group, also came under discussion in political circles. Ultimately the BJP withdrew its candidate Murji Patel from the election.

Earlier, the MNS chief met Shinde at his official residence. The CMO tweeted that Thackeray met the chief minister “on issues related to public health”.

Both the leaders also went to meet each other during Ganesh Chaturthi.

Read also | Raj Thackeray urges BJP not to contest Andheri East bypolls, to show respect to the deceased MLA

The BJP, on its part, held separate meetings with Thackeray. Ever since he took over as the deputy CM, Fadnavis and several senior BJP leaders from the state have met the MNS chief during the festive season.

Hindutva: Convergence Point

The three parties, especially the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, resolve to carry forward Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology of Hindutva.

The MNS followed a change in 2020, which many call the party’s ‘secular image’ of a hardline Hindutva stand, aligning it more ideologically to the BJP.

However, the party has not had any electoral success in the recent past. It got only one seat in the 2014 and 2019 assembly elections. In the BMC, six of its seven corporators left the Shiv Sena in 2018.

Additionally, the MNS also lost control of the Nashik Municipal Corporation in 2017, thanks to which the BJP made inroads by winning only five seats.

Read also | Uddhav-1, Shinde-0 as BJP heeds Raj Thackeray’s request for Andheri bypolls. Why is competition important?

Born after Raj Thackeray’s exit from the Shiv Sena in 2005, the MNS in its early years mainly stuck to the core issues of Maharashtrian rights and anti-North-India stances, before adopting Hindutva as its dominant ideology.

do or die fight

Political observers like his uncle Bal Thackeray, known for his fiery speeches, say the MNS chief’s rallies have failed to translate into votes. The upcoming elections have been dubbed as ‘do or die’ for the MNS chief, with a possible alliance giving him little chance.

Senior political analyst Hemant Desai said, “Hindutva plus Raj Thackeray’s charisma, apart from BJP’s support, add all this and MNS may get some success, not much.”

He added: “The alliance (if it happens) will be beneficial for all the three parties. Raj Thackeray had an anti-establishment image. Earlier he used to speak against the Congress and the 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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