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An ‘upset’ Uddhav Thackeray won’t contest MLC polls if not elected unopposed: Sena
Sanjay Raut clarified that Uddhav Thackeray is not afraid of contesting an election but the current situation doesn’t warrant political battles.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is not willing to contest the legislative council polls due later this month unless elected unopposed, said senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, adding that the ruling alliance partner Congress was firm on contesting two seats, which is likely to force a contest.
Raut said that the ongoing political drama has upset the Shiv Sena chief, who has sent a message to Maharashtra Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat to withdraw party’s second candidate.
Raut clarified that Uddhav is not afraid of contesting an election but the current situation doesn’t warrant political battles. He added that the legislative council polls for 9 seats on May 21 were being held to avoid a constitutional and political crisis in the state.
Raut was referring to the constitutional requirement for a chief minister or a minister of the state to get elected to either of the two houses within six months of taking oath. Uddhav is currently not an MLA and his six months as Maharashtra CM come to an end on May 28.
Late on Saturday night, Thorat announced that Rajkishor Modi, the party’s Beed district president, will be its second candidate. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already fielded four candidates. The Nationalist Congress Party and the Shiv Sena have announced two candidates each. With Congress also fielding two candidates, it would require a contest between the candidates of the ruling coalition.
“Do we tell people that while they are locked up in their homes; when there is a question mark over their livelihoods and health, political parties in Maharashtra cannot unanimously decide on an election? This would be a blot on Maharashtra’s tradition. Uddhav Thackeray never was and will never be interested in such politics. He is upset over this development. He wanted to contest only if it was unopposed. We are not scared of contesting, but this is not the time to contest elections. It is time to tackle the situation. We have taken this election out of no choice as the state was heading towards instability,” Raut told reporters on Sunday.
He added that if there is voting on May 21, all 288 MLAs would have to come to Mumbai and it would not send a “good message” to the people of Maharashtra at a time when it is battling Covid-19.
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Raut, however, added that there is no “tension” between the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies over the issue and all leaders are currently in talks with each other to find a middle ground. He also expressed confidence that the MLC elections will be contested unopposed.
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The Sena leader added that both BJP and Congress didn’t have adequate numbers to get all their candidates elected. “The BJP too does not have enough numbers to get their fourth candidate elected. It is their responsibility as well that election is held unopposed. They [BJP] do not have enough votes for their candidate; they would have to engage in horse-trading. They should also think if an election should be forced upon Maharashtra at such a time,” Raut said adding that Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis should discuss this issue.
“I think Devendra Fadnavis and chief minister Uddhav Thackeray should discuss this issue. I am not saying they should take a step back or we should. The election should happen unopposed. The chief minister of a state is in the fray. The situation in the state is serious and people want a stable leadership. At such a time, nobody should take advantage of the situation to suit their politics.”
