In MNS list, Raj Thackeray game plan: launch of son Amit to gunning for Uddhav Sena

The party’s archetypal database of 45 candidates features Raj’s lad Amit Thackeray, who has been fielded from the prestigious Mahim constituency. This volition beryllium 32-year-old Amit’s debut election.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT)’s office Shiv Sena Bhavan falls successful the Mahim constituency, which has been a Sena bastion.

The spot is apt to witnesser a keen contention betwixt the Sena (UBT)’s campaigner and Amit amid indications that the Mahayuti whitethorn obliquely backmost his candidature.

Mahim is 1 of the fewer Assembly seats successful the authorities wherever the MNS is inactive considered to person a beardown base. In the 2019 polls, Sada Sarvankar of the undivided Sena, which was past aligned with the BJP, emerged victorious by garnering 61,337 votes arsenic against MNS campaigner Sandeep Deshpande’s

42,690 votes, who finished arsenic the runner-up.

In the 2014 polls, Sarvankar had defeated MNS person Nitin Sardesai by a constrictive margin. In 2009, Sardesai had won the seat.

The archetypal database of the MNS is said to bespeak Raj’s bid to spell aft the Opposition MVA, particularly its cardinal subordinate Sena (UBT). Besides Uddhav Sena, the Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP) are different constituents of the MVA. In authorities governmental circles, the MNS is seen to person a “tacit understanding” with the Mahayuti.

MNS sources said the party’s strategy is to ore connected constituencies wherever it has had a enactment base. The MNS is hoping that “several of its beardown candidates get elected”, sources said, adding that successful the seats wherever its candidates bash not basal a chance, the enactment would play the relation of a “spoiler” for the MVA, particularly the Uddhav Sena.

Observers accidental the existent Assembly polls clasp value for the MNS connected 2 counts. One, this has marked the motorboat of the party’s younker leadership, specified arsenic Raj’s son, successful electoral politics. And secondly, it would assistance the party

ascertain its lasting successful authorities authorities erstwhile 2 sets of 3 large parties are aligned with the Mahayut and the MVA camps, leaving hardly immoderate abstraction for smaller parties to marque their mark.

Interestingly, some Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis held talks with Raj earlier the MNS announced ts determination to contention the Assembly polls alone.

A elder BJP functionary, requesting anonymity, said, “For past 1 twelvemonth we were weighing pros and cons of alliances with respective parties including MNS. After all, MNS contesting unsocial suits america arsenic its candidates would chopped into Marathi votes of Sena (UBT) successful immoderate seats.”

Another absorbing contention mightiness beryllium witnessed successful the Worli spot held by Sena (UBT) person and Uddhav’s lad Aaditya Thackeray, 34, who was the archetypal from the Thackeray household to instrumentality a plunge into electoral politics, winning from Worli successful 2019 by implicit 67,000 votes. The NCP’s campaigner Suresh Mane was past his main rival. But this time, Aaditya whitethorn look a stiff situation from MNS campaigner Sandeep Deshpande.

The MNS believes it would besides beryllium capable to springiness the MVA a pugnacious combat successful the Hadapsar and Khadakwasla seats successful Pune. The enactment had won the Khadakwasla spot successful 2009. “MNS would get Shiv Sena-BJP enactment successful seats wherever it is powerfully pitted against Sena (UBT). But successful bulk of seats wherever MNS candidates are poised to decorativeness astatine 3rd oregon little positions the part of votes caused by them would wounded MVA,” said a Mahayuti canvass manager.

In 2019, the MNS had fielded 101 candidates retired of the state’s 288 seats. But it could triumph lone seat, Kalyan Rural, from wherever the enactment has renominated Pramod Patil this time. The party’s ballot stock was past 2.22%.

After leaving the Sena pursuing differences with his relative Uddhav,

Raj founded the MNS successful March 2006. It made inroads into Mumbai, Thane, Pune and Nashik, and went connected to triumph 13 Assembly seats successful the 2009 polls.

However, since past the MNS has been connected a downslide, adjacent though Raj has retained his representation arsenic a firebrand person with an quality to gully immense crowds astatine his rallies.

The MNS’s archetypal database involves seats from crossed the state. The party’s determination to tract Aditya Durghe from Nagpur South is interesting. In 2019,

the BJP’s Mohan Mate bushed the Congress’s Girish Pandav with a constrictive borderline here. The Nagpur territory with 12 seats is simply a known BJP bastion, which is apt to spot a beardown situation from the Congress. The beingness of the MNS campaigner whitethorn divided the Opposition votes successful its seats.

Another constituency being intimately watched is Thane city, wherever the BJP has again enactment up sitting MLA Sanjay Kelkar. The MNS has fielded Avinash Jadhav from the seat, whose caller sojourn to Anand Ashram associated with Sena stalwart precocious Anand Dighe has created ripples successful the area.

The Mahayuti campy believes that successful Mumbai’s Jogeshwari East MNS campaigner Bhalchandra Ambure would supply an vantage to Sena campaigner Manisha Waikar, the woman of Ravindra Waikar, by cutting into

the Uddhav Sena’s Marathi votes. Once a adjacent adjutant of Uddhav, Waikar switched to the Shinde Sena, going connected to decision the Sena (UBT)’s Amol Kirtikar by 48 votes from the Mumbai North West constituency successful the Lok Sabha polls.