Party weaknesses to hurt MNS dreams

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray has set a target of winning at least 6% of the votes cast in the Lok Sabha elections, which will earn his party recognition from the Election Commission as a state party.

The MNS has announced that it will contest all the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state and that it will not ally with any other party in the state.

However, poor organisational structure and the lack of ground-level leaders make the task very difficult. The MNS has a presence in every taluka of the state but it is not really effective in most of the state except Mumbai, Thane, Pune, and Nashik, all urban areas.

The MNS tirade against north Indian migrants did find an echo in parts of Marathwada and Vidarbha, and Thackeray’s rallies in these areas attracted large crowds, but it is doubtful if the spectators will vote for the MNS.

Political observers warn that the MNS presence will hurt the Shiv Sena. For instance, in 2007, in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, MNS candidates received between 60,000 and 1,00,000 votes, most at the Sena’s cost, and even won seven seats. But these observers also doubt if this success at the municipal level can be repeated at the national level or outside Mumbai.

“I wonder if the party will even find 48 suitable candidates,” sked an observer, adding, “Thackeray jus wants to test the MNS’ strength and the party will not have much influence in the polls apart from some areas in Nashik.”