The mother of all political alliances may have died at birth.
When Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray launched his surrogate campaign for the Congress and NCP during the Lok Sabha polls, it was widely expected that this would bring in incremental votes for the opposition, helping it make a cut in the tough fight. MNS leaders claimed that they could enter into an “electoral adjustment,” if not an outright alliance with the two parties for the state Assembly polls that happened early this year.
The MNS had not put up any candidate for the Lok Sabha and Raj launched a proxy campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, through the use of audio-visual media in his rallies. Raj's line: “Ae laav re to video” (Play that video), asking his cadres to play videos of Modi's “double-speaking” on issues, had made ripples on social media.
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However, with the Congress and NCP coming a cropper in the Lok Sabha polls, with the Shiv Sena and BJP, sweeping 41 of 48 seats, there seems to be a rethinking within the MNS on any possible truck with the opposition.
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“It is certain that we will contest the state Assembly elections. However, there is no clarity on whether we will fight all seats, cherry-pick a few winnable ones, enter into an adjustment of alliance or adjustment with the Congress-NCP, or contest on our own merit,” said a senior MNS leader.
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He added that there was a sentiment in a section of the party, that the MNS should contest the elections alone. “The Congress and NCP have been left with a little base in the urban areas of Mumbai, Pune, Thane, and Nashik, where we are focussing on. It makes more sense for us to attract their votes towards us rather than join hands with them,” the MNS leader claimed.
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In 2009, the MNS had fielded 12 candidates across Maharashtra and its 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 missteps and tactical errors, 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 its 13 seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, with Sharad Sonawane from Junnar in Pune being the only victor. He, however, shifted to the Shiv Sena before the Lok Sabha elections. The MNS also suffered a major loss of face in the BMC, where six of its seven corporators defected to the Sena.
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