MUMBAI: The Chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Raj Thackeray, Monday implored party workers to view the ongoing seat-sharing talks with the Shiv Sena (UBT) in a broader perspective and not be disheartened by the distribution of seats or other party issues. “It’s not the time to think about our party or their party, it’s the time to think of the survival of the Marathi manoos,” he said
Addressing party karyakartas and the cadre amid negotiations for the 227 wards of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Raj Thackeray said the focus should be on safeguarding Mumbai and keeping it in the hands of the Marathi Manoos, rather than getting drawn into a “numbers game”, that will only benefit the other side.
He emphasised the need to understand and recognise the challenges facing the city and to prioritise its protection over internal anxieties related to seat allocation or tickets.
“I will speak more about seat sharing, elections and this issue in the coming days during the campaign,” Thackeray told workers at a meeting held at Rangsharda Auditorium in Bandra. The interaction took place in Mumbai on Monday.
The Sena (UBT) last week announced an alliance with Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for the Mumbai civic polls, but the parties haven’t yet declared their lists of candidates. The list is likely to be declared today.
Elections to 29 civic bodies, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), will be held on January 15. The counting of votes will take place the next day on January 16.
The election to the BMC is a high-stakes battle for Uddhav Thackeray and now Raj Thackeray, as he attempts to reclaim control of the country’s richest civic body, which has been under the undivided Shiv Sena from 1997 to 2022.
This is a litmus test for Uddhav and his continuance as a political force in Maharashtra will be determined by how the Shiv Sena (UBT) fares in the BMC polls.
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