Can’t buy or sell democracy through advertising: Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Andhare targets BJP

Shiv Sena's campaign for Thane LS polls gains momentum with incumbent MP Rajan Vichare. Party criticizes BJP's advertising, claims people are unhappy with lack of major projects.

NAVI MUMBAI: Even as the Mahayuti alliance is yet to declare its candidate for the Lok Sabha polls from Thane, which is chief minister Eknath Shinde’s home constituency, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) candidate and incumbent MP Rajan Vichare’s campaign is off to a flying start.

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Uddhav’s wife Rashmi Thackeray on Friday led a meeting of the party’s women members at the Vishnudas Bhave auditorium as part of Vichare’s campaign. While Rashmi Thackeray did not speak at the meeting, the party’s firebrand leader Sushma Andhare declared that Vichare would win the election comfortably.

Targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance for its campaign spending, Andhare said, “[Prime Minister Narendra] Modi and his bhakts are busy with advertising. Advertising can sell only small items. You cannot buy or sell democracy through advertising. Besides, good work doesn’t need advertising. Modi did it even on Covid vaccine certificates, which we paid for,” she said.

Andhare claimed that people in the constituencies she has visited are sick of the BJP’s advertising. She added that there have been no major projects in the state in the last two-and-a-half years, there are no employment opportunities, and inflation is hurting everyone.

“Modi is having to go twice to a constituency to campaign. This shows that Maharashtra BJP leaders like Devendra Fadnavis, Chandrashekhar Bawankule and others have no effect here. They have damaged the Maharashtra unit of BJP and, hence, they are having to call BJP leaders from the Centre. However, whether they call them from the Centre or from another planet, we are confident they will not escape the anger of the people of Maharashtra,” she said.

Andhare also commented on the Mahayuti’s delay in announcing its candidate for Thane, which will go to the polls on May 20. “The fact that the third phase of the election is almost here and a candidate has not yet been announced [in Thane] points to the fear that both the BJP and Shiv Sena have. We are taking it as a huge positive for us.”