MNS leaders were negotiating with the NCP for a possible pre-poll adjustment.
The NCP may have effectively shut the doors on the MNS for a pre-poll tie-up by declaring candidates of 11 Lok Sabha seats, including Mumbai North East and Kwhich were being sought by the Raj Thackeray-led party.
MNS leaders were negotiating with the NCP for a possible pre-poll adjustment. However, the Congress had opposed this considering the party's anti-migrant stance. On Thursday, the NCP declared the names of former MP Sanjay Dina Patil from Mumbai North East, while Babaji Patil will contest from Kalyan. The MNS was seeking either of these for a Lok Sabha polls.
The MNS faced an electoral washout in 2014 Lok Sabha and state assembly polls after a stellar showing in the previous elections. This time, the party fancied its chances due to disgruntlement in a section of the Shiv Sena's cadre after the party announced it would contest sans an alliance with the BJP, but made a u-turn later. A senior MNS leader said the NCP's move had put their party in a quandary. “We have to either contest on our own strength or keep away. Supporting the Congress- NCP to consolidate anti-BJP votes and campaigning for them is difficult. This set of circumstances will cause a drift in the cadre,” he admitted.
The MNS leader said the party chief was likely to hold a rally later this month in Mumbai or Pune, to announce his party's stance for the Lok Sabha polls.
MNS sources had sought that either the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat, where the party has a sizeable presence, and the Mumbai North East constituency, which has significant Marathi voters, be given to it from the NCP quota.
A senior MNS leader had claimed they would benefit due to disgruntlement within the Shiv Sena cadre on the party's decision to ally with the BJP after claiming it would contest all future elections on its own merit. In 2009, the MNS had fielded 12 candidates across Maharashtra and it's presence in the fray saw nine nominees of the Shiv Sena and BJP bite the dust against their adversaries from the Congress and NCP.
However, due to a series of tactical errors, which saw Raj supporting Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister and yet fielding candidates against the Shiv Sena and the BJP, the MNS faced a severe electoral reverse in 2014, with all of its nine Lok Sabha candidates losing the elections. The MNS also lost all of it's 13 seats in the Maharashtra legislative assembly, with Sharad Sonawane from Junnar in Pune being the only victor. Earlier this week, Sonawane switched to the Shiv Sena.
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