Maharashtra Assembly Polls: MNS to go solo, wants to be in power anyhow

MNS chief Raj Thackeray during a rally in Kankavli, Maharashtra. File Pic/Anurag Ahire

Slamming other parties and governments for neglecting basic issues, Raj Thackeray announced on Thursday that his party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), would independently contest 225-250 seats in the October Assembly election. He said he wanted MNS in power at any cost and asked party workers to build the party's campaign around issues that have remained unsolved all these years.

Thackeray's announcement put to rest the possibility of MNS having a pre-poll alliance with the Mahayuti (NDA). He had extended unconditional support to PM Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha elections, specifying it as a one-off gesture. The solo show of MNS will mean the division of votes of like-minded parties, including both Sena factions, in case they are pitted against each other. There are 288 seats in the state Assembly. In 2009, MNS tasted success winning 13 seats, but failed to improve its performance in the next elections. It has just one MLA in the current House.

According to Thackeray, large-scale tree felling across the country was a major environmental issue that impacted climate and rainfall. "We worry when there is no rain. We say the climate has changed, but we don't think about the reasons for it. Uncounted trees are being cut in our country," he said, adding that most of the wood from the fallen trees was used for the Hindu last rites.

‘Change needed'

He said, "We will have to change, instead of keeping up with religious traditions. The number of electric crematoriums is not 0.1 per cent of what the country needs today. The government should look into this. And we should think about what we would leave for the next generation." He said like water, basic issues such as the agrarian crisis, unemployment, poor healthcare and many others need prompt attention, but we did not have time for it.

"What is going on here is Ladka Bhau and Ladki Bahin (the dole scheme for women and men). But does the state government have the money for it? It doesn't have the money to fill potholes," he added, making a cryptic comment on one of the parties that split last year, "Had the Ladki Bahin and Ladka Bhau been together, they wouldn't need these schemes..." Thackeray said the parties (NDA and MVA) had the only agenda of abusing each other and diverting the people's attention from real issues. "They do elections this way, not over issues. But your [MNS] campaign should be about these real and basic issues."

No pre-poll alliance

Thackeray said his party workers need not worry about the pre-poll alliance and seat-sharing. "I want my people in power at any cost. But remember that only those having electoral merit will get the party tickets," he said, telling the MNS rank and file that he had put a system in place to verify merit and recommendations. "Those wanting to make money will not get the ticket." The MNS chief will begin his state tour on August 1 to meet the district and taluka leaders ahead of the October polls.

225-250
No of seats MNS will contest