MNS-BJP deal likely: Raj Thackeray demands South Mumbai, Shirdi Lok Sabha seats in meeting with Amit Shah

Senior MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar said in Mumbai, “Raj Thackeray’s meeting with Amit Shah was very positive. The final decision on BJP-MNS alliance and seats will be taken in a couple of days.”

With MNS, the BJP is set to have a fourth partner other that Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. South Mumbai and Shirdi in Ahmednagar district were both being sought by Shinde-led Sena.

Before the Delhi meeting, Raj Thackeray held three meetings with Fadnavis in Mumbai to discuss the pros and cons of the alliance. Once the decision was formalised, he expressed his wish to meet Amit Shah. Accordingly, Fadnavis organised the meeting between Shah and Raj Thackeray.

Insiders in the BJP indicated that they were looking at Raj Thackeray’s son Amit Thackeray, who heads the MNS youth wing, as the MNS candidate from South Mumbai.

While Mumbai South is an urban seat, Shirdi in Ahmednagar district comes under rural Maharashtra. In 2019, both the seats were contested by the undivided Shiv Sena, which was an alliance partner of the BJP. Shiv Sena UBT’s Arvind Sawant is the sitting MP in South Mumbai, while Shirdi is represented Sadashiv Lokhande from Shinde Sena.

Senior NCP leader and state minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who belongs to the Ajit Pawar camp, said if MNS joins the BJP-led “Mahayuti”, it will increase the strength of the ruling alliance.

A senior BJP leader said on the condition of anonymity, “Raj Thackeray will be an asset politically. He may not get us seats but he can dent Shiv Sena ( UBT) Marathi dominant seats in Mumbai, Nashik, Pune and Thane.”

Political observers feel that “every party will get its due in seat-sharing”, noting that the Shinde Sena, which was entrusted the task to finish Sena UBT, has not been able to completely shake their base, especially in Mumbai and Thane that together make up for 10 Lok Sabha seats.

The probable BJP-MNS alliance has invited sharp criticism from opposition parties. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief spokesperson Atul Londhe said, “The BJP by joining hands with MNS has betrayed North Indians. The MNS has always done anti-migrant politics. Why should North Indians vote for the BJP. The alliance is like rubbing salt on wounds,” he added.

NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) spokesperson Clyde Crasto claimed that the MNS leader has been under the scanner of central agencies and has been trying to “save his party”. “The fortunes of MNS have been dwindling and the meeting could salvage him and protect his party,” he said.

(with PTI)