Uddhav may spell out 2019 poll code of conduct for Shiv Sena cadre

Sena chief may lay down plan, attack BJP, give clarity on alliance at party’s Dussehra rally

Ahead of the 2019 state and general elections, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray is expected to lay down the party’s poll plan, with stress on Hindutva, in the annual on Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park in Dadar on Thursday. Thackeray’s speech could be a direct message to the “record number” of cadre expected to attend.

Preparations at Shivaji Park in Dadar for Shiv Sena Dussehra’s rally (HT Photo)

“The policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government that continue to hurt common man and farmers’ plight could find a mention in the address. Inflation and fuel prices will also be spoken about. Uddhavji will also announce the date of his visit to Ayodhya,” a party functionary said, on condition of anonymity.

Although BJP leaders, including chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, have been stressing on the need for a BJP-Sena alliance, Thackeray is expected to reiterate the party’s stand to go solo, say Sena leaders. In its executive meet in January, the Sena passed a resolution to go it alone in the elections. The decision came amid increasingly choppy relations with the BJP. However, after the BJP’s poor poll performance in a few states, it has softened its stance toward its regional ally. A considerable number of leaders within the party have urged Thackeray to join hands with the BJP before the Lok Sabha election.

Senior leaders said an alliance with the BJP could help the party increase its tally by a couple of seats in Parliament. The Sena currently has 18 MPs in the Lok Sabha. However, the contentious point between the two parties is seat-sharing for Maharashtra Assembly polls that are scheduled six months after the parliamentary elections.

The Sena, which was once the senior partner in the alliance, was reduced to a secondary role in 2014, after the BJP bagged 122 seats, while the Sena got 63 seats in the 288-member state Assembly. The Sena is battling to regain the status of the senior partner in the state alliance, which it lost to the ‘Modi wave’ in 2014.

Meanwhile, the Sena has also been building pressure over the Ram temple issue for a couple of months. Thackeray is expected to be in Ayodhya, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency Varanasi, in early December.