Sena to not fight in 'Didi vs all' Bengal polls but will side with 'tigress' Mamata

The Shiv Sena on Thursday declared it won’t contest the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal but will support Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the electoral fight that’s going to be “Didi vs All”. Earlier, RJD and SP too had voice their support for Banerjee.

Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday tweeted the party’s decision regarding contesting the West Bengal polls, in which it hailed Banerjee as the “real Bengal tigress”. Though it had earlier said it would join the electoral battle in the state, it now vowed to “stand in solidarity” with the TMC camp.

Raut said the decision was taken following discussions with party chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. He also asserted that “at the moment, it appears to be a Didi vs All fight.” Banerjee is fondly referred to as “didi (elder sister)” by her supporters.

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— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) March 4, 2021

“A lot of people are curious to know whether Shivsena is contesting West Bengal Polls or not? So here’s the update after discussions with Party President Uddhav ji Thackeray.”

“All ‘M’s – Money, Muscle and Media are being used against ‘M’amata Didi. Hence, Shivsena has decided not to Contest West Bengal polls & stand in solidarity with her. We wish Mamata Didi a ‘roaring’ success, ‘cos we believe She is the real Bengal Tigress,” he added.

Earlier, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashwi Yadav and Samajwadi Party (SP)’s Akhilesh Yadav had extended their support for Banerjee. While Tejashwi Yadav met Banerjee at Nabanna on Monday, Akhilesh extended his support over phone.

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Bihar’s RJD and Uttar Pradesh’s SP have notably dumped their Left allies in Bengal. Sena, which is in alliance with Congress in Maharashtra, has also chosen to support TMC rather than the Left-Congress alliance in the state.