As polling in Maharashtra drew to a close in the fifth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with voting in seats in Mumbai and Thane, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) taunted Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray by remarking that had he taken efforts to build his party instead of campaigning for the ruling BJP, then the MNS cadre would have seen better days.
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesman Sanjay Raut took shots at Mr. Raj Thackeray — the estranged cousin of Mr. Uddhav Thackeray, dubbing him “a hired gun of the ruling BJP”.
He was commenting on the weight thrown by the BJP and its Mahayuti allies (including Mr. Raj Thackeray) for the North East Lok Sabha constituency which had witnessed a high-decibel roadshow by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ghatkopar on May 15.
“The very fact that everyone — from the Prime Minister to Raj Thackeray to [Union Minister and BJP leader] Narayan Rane had to campaign for the Mumbai North East speaks for itself…It means we [Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena (UBT)] have compelled you to come out and campaign in the streets,” Mr. Raut said, adding that his party had forced the ruling coalition to “sweat it out” for the Mumbai North East seat.
“If Raj Thackeray had worked that hard for his party instead of campaigning for the BJP, then his MNS cadre would have seen better days. But the BJP has hired many people [like Raj Thackeray]. Hence, they are forced to participate in the BJP’s campaigns,” the Sena (UBT) leader said.
Did not field candidates
Mr. Raj Thackeray, who did not field candidates for the second consecutive general election, has seen his political fortunes decline steadily after the MNS was routed in the 2014 and 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections.
Mr. Raut said that the MNS chief, who had once said he would not let Mr. Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah set foot in Maharashtra, was now being subservient to them.
“His [Raj Thackeray’s] abject kowtowing to Mr. Modi was painful to watch,” Mr. Raut said.
Claiming that the Opposition MVA would win 35 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats when the results were out on June 4, Mr. Raut claimed that the ground had shifted from beneath the BJP’s feet.
When told that Mr. Uddhav Thackeray would be voting for the Congress’ punja (hand) symbol while Mr. Raj Thackeray, who split the Shiv Sena in 2006 would be voting for the Sena’s ‘bow and arrow symbol’, Mr. Raut retorted that the MNS chief was voting for a “fake” symbol.
“The symbol of the ruling Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is a duplicate bow and arrow symbol. That is not Balasaheb Thackeray’s original symbol. That is stolen. Raj Thackeray is voting for a stolen symbol,” he said.
Lauding the Congress’ large contribution to the country’s freedom struggle, Mr. Raut said that the BJP had “destroyed the country”.
“The symbol is not important anymore. We had to form the MVA alliance in order to preserve and safeguard the Constitution and democracy. Just as Uddhav Thackeray and Sena (UBT) leaders are voting for the Congress’ symbol, so are many Congress leaders today voting for the mashaal [Sena (UBT)’s symbol] today,” he said.
The Mumbai North East seat is witnessing a fierce fight between the Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Dina-Patil (the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s candidate) and the BJP’s Mihir Kotecha, who was fielded as the Mahayuti candidate by dropping incumbent MP Manoj Kotak.
The run-up to the poll saw tensions rise in the constituency after Mr. Kotecha alleged that Sena (UBT) workers had vandalised his election war room in Mulund.
Sena (UBT) party workers, on the other hand, alleged that they vandalised the war room after discovering that cash was being distributed from Mr. Kotecha’s office.
