Sena takes up the cudgels for Advani

He built BJP and gave it its glorious days, says Saamna editorial

The Shiv Sena on Saturday protested the omission of senior leader L.K. Advani from the Bharatiya Janata Party's first list of Lok Sabha candidates.

“Even though Narendra Modi’s era has begun, it doesn’t mean that Advani’s has ended,” said an editorial in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece, Saamna .

Sena president Uddhav Thackeray’s comments followed Mr. Advani’s decision to contest from Gandhinagar in Gujarat after having been placated by BJP president Rajnath Singh and Narendra Modi who is the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

“Mr. Advani’s name could have been put up on the BJP’s first list. But this did not happen. The man who built the party and gave it its glorious days, has been kept waiting,” read the editorial.

“The masses still have a connect with Mr. Advani. The incident may seem trivial in the larger political scene that is unfolding in the country. However, one cannot forget that small incidents like these can lead to big accidents,” it added.

The Shiv Sena, whose ties with the BJP have been strained after its leader Nitin Gadkari met Raj Thackeray of the rival Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, has already decided to contest in more than 30 constituencies outside Maharashtra, especially in Uttar Pradesh where the stakes are high for the BJP.