Within the Lok Saha elections, the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) had declared its unconditional help to the ruling Mahayuti – comprising the Eknath Shinde-headed Shiv Sena, BJP and Ajit Pawar-led NCP – refraining from naming any candidates in Maharashtra.
Within the November 20 state Meeting polls, the MNS has determined to go alone.
The occasion’s first record of 45 candidates options Raj’s son Amit Thackeray, who has been fielded from the distinguished Mahim constituency. This shall be 32-year-old Amit’s debut election.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT)’s headquarters Shiv Sena Bhavan falls within the Mahim constituency, which has been a Sena bastion.
The seat is prone to witness a eager contest between the Sena (UBT)’s candidate and Amit amid indications that the Mahayuti could obliquely again his candidature.
Mahim is without doubt one of the few Meeting seats within the state the place the MNS remains to be thought of to have a robust base. Within the 2019 polls, Sada Sarvankar of the undivided Sena, which was then aligned with the BJP, emerged victorious by garnering 61,337 votes as in opposition to MNS candidate Sandeep Deshpande’s
42,690 votes, who completed because the runner-up.
Within the 2014 polls, Sarvankar had defeated MNS chief Nitin Sardesai by a slender margin. In 2009, Sardesai had received the seat.
The primary record of the MNS is alleged to replicate Raj’s bid to go after the Opposition MVA, particularly its key participant Sena (UBT). In addition to Uddhav Sena, the Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP) are different constituents of the MVA. In state political circles, the MNS is seen to have a “tacit understanding” with the Mahayuti.
MNS sources mentioned the occasion’s technique is to focus on constituencies the place it has had a help base. The MNS is hoping that “a number of of its robust candidates get elected”, sources mentioned, including that within the seats the place its candidates don’t stand an opportunity, the occasion would play the function of a “spoiler” for the MVA, particularly the Uddhav Sena.
Observers say the present Meeting polls maintain significance for the MNS on two counts. One, this has marked the launch of the occasion’s youth management, akin to Raj’s son, in electoral politics. And secondly, it will assist the occasion
confirm its standing in state politics when two units of three main events are aligned with the Mahayut and the MVA camps, leaving barely any house for smaller events to make their mark.
Curiously, each Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis held talks with Raj earlier than the MNS introduced ts choice to contest the Meeting polls alone.
A senior BJP functionary, requesting anonymity, mentioned, “For final one yr we had been weighing professionals and cons of alliances with a number of events together with MNS. In any case, MNS contesting alone fits us as its candidates would reduce into Marathi votes of Sena (UBT) in some seats.”
One other attention-grabbing contest could be witnessed within the Worli seat held by Sena (UBT) chief and Uddhav’s son Aaditya Thackeray, 34, who was the primary from the Thackeray household to take a plunge into electoral politics, profitable from Worli in 2019 by over 67,000 votes. The NCP’s candidate Suresh Mane was then his essential rival. However this time, Aaditya could face a stiff problem from MNS candidate Sandeep Deshpande.
The MNS believes it will additionally be capable of give the MVA a troublesome struggle within the Hadapsar and Khadakwasla seats in Pune. The occasion had received the Khadakwasla seat in 2009. “MNS would get Shiv Sena-BJP help in seats the place it’s strongly pitted in opposition to Sena (UBT). However in majority of seats the place MNS candidates are poised to complete at third or decrease positions the division of votes attributable to them would harm MVA,” mentioned a Mahayuti ballot supervisor.
In 2019, the MNS had fielded 101 candidates out of the state’s 288 seats. Nevertheless it may win solely seat, Kalyan Rural, from the place the occasion has renominated Pramod Patil this time. The occasion’s vote share was then 2.22%.
After leaving the Sena following variations along with his cousin Uddhav,
Raj based the MNS in March 2006. It made inroads into Mumbai, Thane, Pune and Nashik, and went on to win 13 Meeting seats within the 2009 polls.
Nevertheless, since then the MNS has been on a downslide, regardless that Raj has retained his picture as a firebrand chief with a capability to attract enormous crowds at his rallies.
The MNS’s first record entails seats from throughout the state. The occasion’s choice to subject Aditya Durghe from Nagpur South is attention-grabbing. In 2019,
the BJP’s Mohan Mate beat the Congress’s Girish Pandav with a slender margin right here. The Nagpur district with 12 seats is a identified BJP bastion, which is prone to see a robust problem from the Congress. The presence of the MNS candidate could break up the Opposition votes in its seats.
One other constituency being carefully watched is Thane metropolis, the place the BJP has once more put up sitting MLA Sanjay Kelkar. The MNS has fielded Avinash Jadhav from the seat, whose latest go to to Anand Ashram related to Sena stalwart late Anand Dighe has created ripples within the space.
The Mahayuti camp believes that in Mumbai’s Jogeshwari East MNS candidate Bhalchandra Ambure would offer a bonus to Sena candidate Manisha Waikar, the spouse of Ravindra Waikar, by slicing into
the Uddhav Sena’s Marathi votes. As soon as an in depth aide of Uddhav, Waikar switched to the Shinde Sena, occurring to defeat the Sena (UBT)’s Amol Kirtikar by 48 votes from the Mumbai North West constituency within the Lok Sabha polls.
