Lok Sabha Elections Results 2019: Uddhav Thackeray’s U-turn gamble on alliance with BJP pays off - Hindustan Times
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Lok Sabha Elections Results 2019: Uddhav Thackeray’s U-turn gamble on alliance with BJP pays off

Hindustan Times, Mumbai | By, Mumbai
May 24, 2019 11:54 AM IST

Political pundits point out that the recently concluded election was a test for Thackeray as he was torn between the party’s elected representatives and its cadre.

For Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, the 2019 Lok Sabha polls were even more crucial than the previous general election that was fought under his command. The reason: going into the 2019 election, Thackeray took a risk to join with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), whom he had constantly criticised and against whom he had even announced his party would go solo in elections. His gamble could have backfired and alienated the party’s strong cadre and Sena’s voters.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at Matoshri during a press conference after the Lok Sabha results were announced on Thursday, May 23, 2019.(Aalok Soni / HT Photo)
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at Matoshri during a press conference after the Lok Sabha results were announced on Thursday, May 23, 2019.(Aalok Soni / HT Photo)

Political pundits point out that the recently concluded election was a test for Thackeray as he was torn between the party’s elected representatives and its cadre. While the former wanted to ally with the BJP to retain power, the latter wanted him to test his mettle by taking on the might of the BJP and grow organisationally. Thackeray chose to ally with the BJP, which has brought him the desired results.

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In 2014, the Sena contested 20 seats in Maharashtra and won 18 of them with a vote share of 20.6% following the ‘Modi wave’. On Thursday, the Sena managed to retain its tally of 18 seats, but lost five seats, including seats contested by Union minister Anant Geete and the party’s veteran lawmakers including Anandrao Adsul and Chandrakant Khaire. However, it managed to increase its vote share percentage to 23.5% in the election. Out of the three additional seats it contested in 2019—Satara, Hatkanangle and Palghar—Sena managed to win Palghar and Hatkanangle.

According to a senior Sena functionary, though they had expected victory, the results are encouraging for the party as its vote share has increased. “It is a positive sign that despite our decision to ally with the BJP, the cadre and voters stayed with us and there was no adverse impact because of it. Uddhavji, the CM and other leaders worked hard to end bad blood between the cadre of the two parties. Now, we want to build on this for the Assembly polls,” the leader said, requesting anonymity.

Political analyst Pratap Asbe said Thackeray had matured as a leader in the last seven years since he took over the reins of the party. “Either he has been by the side of success or success has been with him. Whichever way you view it, he’s a successful leader. The decision to ally with the BJP was prompted by a couple of factors. The party MPs and MLAs wanted him to go with the BJP and had he not done so, some key leaders might have defected. The performance of the Sena improved because they went with the BJP. Had they not done so and the BJP had secured the majority it has got today, (the Sena’s) situation would have been really bad,” Asbe said.

Also Read | Lok Sabha elections 2019: How CM Devendra Fadnavis ensured Maharashtra win

Elsewhere, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray’s attempts to rally voters against the BJP-led government seemed to have failed to resonate with the voters. Thackeray, whose party did not contest the polls, addressed several rallies across Maharashtra and campaigned against Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah. However, his attempt to ‘expose’ the BJP-led government with videos does not seem to have borne the required result.

Taking into account the crowds at Raj’s rallies in Maharashtra, it was believed that his campaign could marginally affect the Sena’s Marathi votes within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) where the MNS has some influence; but it failed to do so. While most MNS leaders did not react after the BJP's thumping win, the MNS chief tweeted, “Beyond Rationale” as a reaction to the BJP's victory.

For the Shiv Sena, a handsome win in the Lok Sabha polls will keep it in a commanding position for the state Assembly polls that are scheduled for September-October. Sena functionaries said they do not foresee any change in the attitude of the BJP leaders after it secured a majority on its own. Chief minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis, who had gone to Thackeray’s residence to celebrate the win, said the two parties would remain in alliance for the Assembly polls.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Swapnil Rawal is Principal Correspondent with the Hindustan Times. He covers urban development and infrastructure. He had long stints with leading national dailies and has experience of over a decade in journalism.

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