BJP may have ‘understanding’ with MNS, but no formal tie-up

BJP leader said that the central leadership has categorically told the state unit of BJP that there could not be a direct alliance with the MNS

Mumbai Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray’s Gudi Padwa speech and the subsequent reactions from both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as MNS, has once again fuelled speculations about a formal tie-up or a tacit understanding between the two parties to defeat Shiv Sena in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls.

Until the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP was wary of the wrath of the north Indian voters if the party joined hands with the MNS, which had staunchly opposed the migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in 2006 (Pratik Chorge/HT PHOTO)

However, a BJP leader on the conditions of anonymity, said, “We would not have a direct alliance with MNS for various reasons. First of all, we do not want a shareholder with minimal presence in the state as it would lead to an unequal ratio of profit and loss. If we shared seats with them, the MNS votes would not be sufficient to win. On the other hand, the MNS may get benefitted by all means, in terms of resources and vote banks. Secondly, the BJP has a sizable presence in the MNS’ strongholds such as Mahim, Dadar, Parel, Lalbaug, Borivali, where they would eye for the seat sharing. In a way, conceding seats to them is like restricting ourselves from growth in these areas.”

The leader said that the central leadership has categorically told the state unit of BJP that there could not be a direct alliance with the MNS. He further added, “On the contrary, supporting him informally will help us cut Sena short to size. There is a sizable chunk of voters in Mumbai who are faithful to Babasaheb Thackeray and choose between Sena and MNS. Sena has an edge over the BJP in 38 to 40 electoral wards in Mumbai. We are aiming to damage at least 10-12 of those seats, which can play a crucial role in dislodging Sena from the country’s richest local body. If the strategy works, we can cross the 100-mark on our own to inch towards the hallway mark of 118 seats. In short, we want to replicate the Goa model here in local body polls. Revolutionary Goans Party, which took up the plank of the son-of-soil, won one seat and damaged the prospects of other parties on two to three seats, helping our candidates win.”

Until the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP was wary of the wrath of the north Indian voters if the party joined hands with the MNS, which had staunchly opposed the migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in 2006.

After the attractive party performance in the UP, the state leaders no longer feel that it would affect its prospects. “The recent results in five states have reaffirmed the charisma of Modiji. Raj’s changed stand towards the north Indian was evident in his speech when he asked his workers to chant Hanuman Chalisa and praised the development in UP,” another officer-bearer in the state unit of BJP said.

Leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis, who had denied any possibility of alliance in the past, said on Monday that the decision will be taken according to the developments in the future. “Things shape up as per developments in politics. One needs to wait for a decision for some time,” he said.

Maharashtra BJP’s vice president Madhav Bhandari said that there was no question of alliance. “It is not for the first time that Raj has towed the Hindutva line. He did it a few years ago and then moved away from it. What he has said is his personal stand and BJP has nothing to do with it. The meetings of our leaders including union minister Nitin Gadkari are out of their personal relationships. There is no politics in them. We do not need MNS to win power in the state,” he said.

Sandeep Dehspande, general secretary of MNS, said that there is no such proposal at this point. “Nobody knows about the future, but for now, there is no such proposal,” he said. In response to Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray’s remarks that the MNS is the C-team of BJP, Deshpande said that Sena was the ‘dumb team’ of NCP.

Political analyst Prakash Akolkar said, “Raj Thackeray cannot translate the response he gets for his rallies into votes and that is the reason BJP does not want to take MNS along openly. The BJP will provide him all types of support in its bid to dent Shiv Sena’s prospects in a few wards. Even if they could succeed in a few wards, it would be crucial for the wrestling power in the BMC.”

BJP, which was just two seats short of Sena in 2017 polls, had willingly accepted the secondary position as it did not want to hurt its ally. With the decades-old ally Shiv Sena snapping ties with it to form the government with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress after 2019 assembly polls, leading to a growing bitterness, the two parties are now head-to-head on the political arena of the state.

With the three ruling parties likely to fight the local body polls together, the BJP has found a new partner in MNS with the intention of keeping Sena away from power in local bodies in cities like Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli and Nashik.

Since the intent is clear from both sides, the question remains whether it will be a formal alliance or an informal understanding. Thackeray is believably eager to join hands with the saffron party seeing an opportunity to revive his party, decimated in almost all the elections held recently. But the BJP is treading cautiously while responding to the overture by Raj Thackeray.