Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, who extended support to the NDA in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha Elections, on Thursday (June 13) asked the party workers to be prepared to contest 225-250 out of the 288 seats of the state Assembly in the upcoming elections, a senior party leader said. Speaking to the media, MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar said that party leaders will pay a visit to different regions of the state and present a report to Thackeray about poll preparations.
Notably, Thackeray had declared its support for the BJP-led NDA in the general elections which concluded this month. He had also campaigned for the alliance though his party did not contest the polls.
"Raj Thackeray asked party workers to be prepared to contest 225 to 250 seats in the assembly elections," Nandgaonkar said.
Will MNS form alliance with BJP in Assembly elections?
When asked if the MNS would form an alliance with the Mahayuti, comprising BJP, Shiv Sena, NCP, or contest on its own, he said, “We are not holding any discussions right now. And with whom we are going to hold talks?”
"We have contested elections on our own till now. We will see what happens in the future, but if we have to prepare for the polls," Nandgaonkar said, while also hinting that the party has to expand.
The MNS came into existence in 2006 and contested its first assembly elections in 2009 and won 13 seats. Its performance in the 2014 and 2019 state polls, however, was lacklustre with the party bagging only one seat each time.
What did Raj Thackeray say at the meeting?
Sandeep Deshpande, another party leader, said that at the meeting Thackeray noted that the Opposition’s alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi, constituting Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP SP and Congress, got anti-Narendra Modi votes in Muslim-dominated areas, but did not get much support in Marathi-speaking areas.
"So Marathi-speakers were angry with Uddhav Thackeray because he joined hands with the Congress and NCP (SP)," Deshpande said quoting Raj, implying that the MNS could get their votes.
(With PTI inputs)
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