A series of defections at the top level, and charges of rape and extortion against some of its workers, have severely dented the MNS morale.
The wind it should have been riding seems to have gone out of its sail. Following its good performance in the Lok Sabha elections, it was expected that Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) would go all out to consolidate its position in the next month’s state assembly polls. But instead of firing on all cylinders, the party seems to be fighting a losing battle.
A series of defections at the top level, and charges of rape and extortion against some of its workers, have severely dented the MNS morale. Not even the most optimistic of its supporters is expecting an encore. The MNS fielded 11 candidates in April-May’s Lok Sabha polls. Each of them bagged over 1 lakh votes. A breakup of the assembly segments showed the MNS candidates topping in nine and finishing second in 13.
A senior MNS leader said on condition of anonymity, “The success made the party complacent. There was no programme for the workers to carry the good work forward as top party officials were busy playing a game of one-upmanship.”
“The MNS is controlled by a handful of officials close to Raj Thackeray. They do not have any connect with the party cadre,” said Sanjay Ghadi, who recently defected to the Shiv Sena. Shweta Parulkar and Prakash Mahajan, too, made similar allegations after leaving the party.
A political observer said, “Raj Thackeray’s low-profile behaviour, at a time when the Shiv Sena was out on the streets, fighting against the hike in power tariff, surprised the MNS cadre. After a long time, they saw an aggressive Sena and a reticent MNS. It has badly affected their moral.”
However, MNS general secretary Shirish Parkar said the party is firmly on track. “We will not adopt the Sena policy to accommodate each and every person wanting to join. We have our goals and visions. We will not deviate from them.”
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