Shiv Sena UBT-MNS to tie up and win Thane civic body polls: Sanjay Raut

Mumbai, Oct 18 (IANS) Amid increasing bonhomie between the estranged brother Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray and talk of their alliance during the upcoming local and civic body elections in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday said that the Shiv Sena UBT and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) will tie up for the Thane Municipal Corporation elections and will bag at least 75 seats.

He was speaking to reporters in response to the BJP’s slogan in Thane, “Aab ki Baar 70 paar (this time we will cross 70).

Raut said, “Shiv Sena UBT and MNS will together fight elections to the Thane civic body, and we will come to power. Our slogan is that we will cross 75 seats. Thackeray brothers will create a storm.”

His announcement comes five days after both Shiv Sena UBT and MNS held a joint morcha and rally in Thane to flag off key issues. Further, Raut’s announcement comes when both Thackerays have yet to take a final decision on allying to jointly fight the elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the other 28 civic bodies and also local bodies in the state.

Both brothers have increased their formal and informal meetings, which is creating a buzz in the state political circle. On Friday, Uddhav Thackeray and his family went to Chhatrapati Maharaj Shivaji Park to inaugurate the illumination on the occasion of Diwali, organised by the MNS founder Raj Thackeray.

Thane has been the home city of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, but it has traditionally been the bastion of Shiv Sena bastion. After Shinde’s rebellion in June 2022, a large number of office bearers and elected representatives deserted Uddhav Thackeray and joined the Shinde camp. Since then, Shinde has been calling the shots while tightening his grip in the party organisation.

Raut chose to announce the tie-up between Shiv Sena UBT and MNS when the Shiv Sena and BJP are speaking the language of going solo in the Thane Municipal Corporation elections. Both held meetings when the office strongly expressed to contest the civic and local body elections separately in Thane.

The ruling allies are currently engaged in a tussle while making all-out efforts to gain supremacy in the Thane civic body.

Shinde and BJP minister Ganesh Naik are separately holding janata darbars to assess the public mood. In the 2017 elections, the BJP and the undivided Shiv Sena fought independently.

The Shiv Sena had won 67 out of 131 seats, and the BJP had bagged 23 seats.

Responding to Raut’s announcement, the BJP legislator from Thane assembly said the decision about the alliance between the BJP and the Shinde camp would be taken at an appropriate time.

--IANS

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