Maharashtra poll battle intensifies as BJP woos Raj Thackeray, VBA backs Congress

With Maharashtra witnessing a drastic change in its political landscape over the last five years, the BJP-led NDA is leaving no stone unturned to strengthen the alliance in the state which sends 48 MPs, the most after UP’s 80, to the Lok Sabha.

The BJP may soon rope in Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Raj was in Delhi on Tuesday (March 19) to hold talks with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah amid intense speculation that his party may soon be inducted into the NDA fold. The BJP intends to join hands with Raj with an aim to counter the influence of his estranged cousin Uddhav Thackeray who heads Shiv Sena (UBT) which is a constituent of MVA.

The BJP believes that the MNS could play a spoiler for Shiv Sena (UBT) by denting Marathi voters in some crucial pockets dominated by Uddhav’s party. It will be a win-win situation for both the sides, as it will also revive the fortune of MNS which has been virtually pushed to political oblivion.

Changing landscape

The BJP is aware of the fact that the political landscape of Maharashtra has transformed significantly as compared to the 2019 general elections when it contested the polls in alliance with the undivided Shiv Sena. The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance had then swept the Lok Sabha polls, winning 41 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra and also emerging triumphant in the subsequent assembly polls.

However, the rift over power sharing in the state led to BJP and Shiv Sena parting ways. Subsequently, the Shiv Sena joined hands with the Congress and the NCP to form the MVA government in the state. A rebellion by Eknath Shinde in June 2022 led to a split in the Shiv Sena and fall of the MVA regime. The BJP and the Shinde Sena then came together to form the government. A few months later, Ajit Pawar led a similar rebellion against his uncle Sharad Pawar, causing a split in the NCP. Now, both the Congress and the BJP are in alliance with one faction each of Shiv Sena and NCP.

Tricky terrain

The BJP knows that the road ahead won’t be easy and it is in no mood to take chances in the politically-significant state that is critical to the party’s target of winning 370 Lok Sabha seats. So to counter the Uddhav Thackeray factor, it has reached out to his cousin Raj. MNS, it is learnt, wants three seats – South Mumbai, Shirdi and Nashik.

The MNS was formed in 2006 after Raj walked out of Shiv Sena over differences with cousin Uddhav. The MNS recorded its best electoral performance in the 2009 state polls when it won 13 seats. However, it performed poorly in 2014 polls, winning just one seat, while its tally remained unchanged in 2019. In the 2017 BMC polls, the party won six seats. However, barring one, all the MNS corporators joined the then undivided Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray.

However, a BJP leader said, “Raj Thackeray will play a crucial role in targeting the Opposition with his oratory skills. He may not have strong party network or potential to win many seats, but MNS still have some support base in Thane, Nashik, Mumbai, Kalyan and Pune.”

Struggling to stay in the limelight over the past decade, Raj has often courted controversies with his remarks. He hit out against Uddhav when the Shiv Sena suffered a split in June 2022, holding him responsible for the party’s crisis. He also shares a good rapport with Eknath Shinde with the two leaders meeting on several occasions.

VBA backs Congress

On the other hand, miffed with the Uddhav faction of Shiv Sena and the Sharad Pawar camp of NCP, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar on Tuesday offered his party’s support to Congress candidates on the seven Lok Sabha seats. The “goodwill” gesture came after the MVA decided to keep the VBA out. Ambedkar extended this offer to the Congress in a letter to party president Mallikarjun Kharge.

The MVA had previously offered to allocate four of Maharashtra’s 48 seats for VBA. However, the VBA insisted it would not settle on anything less than 12 seats. In his letter, Ambedkar said, “I have requested Khargeji to enlist me the names of 7 constituencies from the quota allotted to the Indian National Congress in the MVA. VBA will lend its complete ground and strategic support to the Congress candidates on 7 seats of the party’s choice. This proposal from Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi to the Indian National Congress is not only in goodwill but also an extension of a friendly hand for a possible alliance in the future.”

Targets Sena, NCP

In his letter, a copy of which he put out on X, Ambedkar blamed the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP for the breakdown of talks. “The Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) have refused to listen to VBA’s representatives in the numerous MVA meetings, and we have lost faith in both of these parties due to their unequal attitude towards VBA,” he said in his letter to Kharge. Ambedkar’s disagreement with Thackeray comes months after both parties announced an alliance in Maharashtra.

Incidentally, Ambedkar participated in the INDIA coalition rally at Shivaji Park on Sunday despite his differences with the MVA.

Meanwhile, the MVA leaders on Monday indicated that a tentative agreement being discussed by the coalition partners would allocate 22 seats to the Shiv Sena (UBT), 16 seats to the Congress and 10 to the NCP-SP.