‘We will insist that Uddhav Thackeray is declared as MVA’s CM candidate:’ Anil Parab
Parab, who is a key strategist, also said that the MVA allies are aware they will have to work on several things including an amicable seat-sharing pact
Mumbai Senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab on Tuesday said his party will insist that party chief Uddhav Thackeray is projected as the chief ministerial candidate of the opposition coalition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ahead of the assembly elections. “It will be good in terms of winning seats if Uddhavji is projected as our chief ministerial candidate. We will talk with our allies about this,” he said in an interview to HT.
Parab, who is a key strategist of the party, also said the MVA allies are aware that assembly elections are a ball game than Lok Sabha and that the allies they will have to work on several things including an amicable seat-sharing pact.
Excerpts from an interview:
You got elected to the legislative council from Mumbai graduates’ constituency. Was it a tough election?
This constituency has been with our party for 30 years. In the last three elections, I was in charge of this constituency, hence I know it well. Our workers managed to convert registered voters into votes. Our network of party workers is very good and it worked in my favour. We did not want to lose this traditional constituency. We also managed to win the Mumbai teachers’ constituency for the first time.
Was it challenging considering that your party has split? Five of your MLAs in Mumbai defected to Eknath Shinde-led Sena.
We were confident of our party network. Shiv Sena is a cadre-based party, not a leader-based party. It doesn’t matter if a few leaders have gone. It is the workers on the ground or foot-soldiers who matter. An MLA gets elected because of these people. The MLAs who left the party will now come to know why they were getting elected.
The challenge before your party as well as your allies will be to continue the momentum of the Lok Sabha elections. Do you think you will manage this?
If the three parties work properly, the Mahayuti will not get a chance. There are several things we have to look at - seat-sharing, distribution of tickets and synergy between the leaders and ground level workers of the three parties. We ensured this in Lok Sabha. Take the case of Mumbai north central constituency. Congress candidate Varsha Gaikwad’s assembly constituency Dharavi was in Mumbai south central. We worked here for her and she did took an effort for our candidate in south central. We won both the seats. My point is, we have the strength but we have to use it properly and whole-heartedly.
Do you think the atmosphere will be different this time compared to LS elections?
There are so many issues involved. In Lok Sabha elections, there were only 48 seats, now we have to share 288 seats. The main issue will be seat-sharing. Next will be the distribution of tickets. An equally crucial part will be to see how our workers gel together at the local level.
Leaders of your rival coalition, Mahayuti, say things have changed since Lok Sabha elections and budget announcements made by the government would work in their favour.
I also think assembly elections will be entirely different. The issues are going to be different. The mood of the people will have to be taken into consideration. And they are not happy. Mere announcements are not enough, implementation matters. They have budget of ₹90,000 crore but is it being used in for the people entirely? Are you ensuring minimum price for the crops? What are you doing to stop farmers’ suicides? Is the crop insurance helping farmers?
Announcements in budget also means average voters would be getting a certain amount in their bank accounts-- ₹1,500 for women, subsidy for cooking gas, cash benefit for farmers. Won’t it help the ruling parties?
They are giving the amount only for three months. What happens after that? They will try to influence voters with just announcements. Several conditions are being put to avail the schemes. Registering for them too is a problem due to paperwork involved.
Will Sena insist that Uddhav Thackeray is declared as the chief ministerial candidate?
It will be the best way to get seats elected, if we announce Uddhav Thackeray as chief ministerial candidate. He has goodwill and also people have sympathy for him due to what happened in the state. Even Shankaracharya said the same thing. So that should be considered.
So when the MVA allies sit for talks, will you insist on the same? NCP (SP) chief Pawar had said there won’t be a face and that the coalition itself is a face.
What Pawar said is his view. It is not a final decision. There are different views and everybody will be putting forth their views. We will try to tell our allies why we think there should be a face to the coalition. The final decision will come later.
There are speculations that a few of Shinde’s MLAs want to come back. Is the party willing to take them back?
Uddhav Thackeray had said that none of them would be taken back. Ultimately, he will decide if any exceptions are to be made.