The Maha Picture | Is Mahayuti Govt Looking For a Fourth Partner in Maharashtra Ahead of Lok Sabha Polls? – News18

Is the ‘Mahayuti’ government in the Maharashtra looking for a fourth partner in the run up to Lok Sabha Elections 2024? The big question is being asked because despite having strong partners like the Shiv Sena and NCP, the Bharatiya Janata Party is reaching out to smaller regional parties like Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by Raj Thackeray. While the Mahayuti government was not seen as weak before the entry of NCP led by Ajit Pawar, NCP’s entry has made strengthen this government in the number game. However, the responsibility which has been thrust on Ajit Pawar and NCP is to capture the Western Maharashtra belt along with the penetration in rural Maharashtra, where the BJP lacks. But with murmurs that the BJP is contemplating to rope in Raj Thackeray and his party, speculation is rife that another plan is brewing behind the curtains.

Raj Thackery and his party, since the inception of MNS, have been raising the issue of ‘Marathi Manus’ (son of the soil). In the initial years, the MNS got a good response from the people of Maharashtra. In the 2009 state assembly election, 11 MNS MLAs won. However, MNS could not repeat the same in the 2014 and 2019 Maharashtra assembly polls with just one MLA from the party getting elected.

Also Read | BJP-MNS Alliance On Cards For LS Polls In Maharashtra? Raj Thackeray In Delhi To Meet Shah, Nadda

This leads to the question as to why the BJP would want to have MNS in this alliance? MNS has a history of having an “anti-North Indian” stand. The Raj Thackeray-led MNS has been seen taking an aggressive stand against North Indians coming to Mumbai and Maharashtra for jobs. In 2008, MNS attacked and vandalised the shops of North Indians in various parts of Maharashtra. They even opposed ‘Chhath Puja’, which is celebrated on a large scale in different parts of Mumbai.

Raj Thackeray, while going ahead with his agenda, has also targeted Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, for promoting Uttar Pradesh and doing business with the state. Thackeray said that it was the Mumbai film industry that gave all glory, name and fame to Bachchan.

While this anti-north Indian stand taken by Raj Thackeray has brought him support from the Marathi youth, it didn’t get converted into votes after the 2009 election. Despite that, Raj Thackeray remains a crowd-puller and his rallies are jam-packed.

According to the sources, BJP, who wants to cut Uddhav Thackeray’s votes in the state and the sympathy, which his party still has, wants Raj Thackeray as fourth member in the ‘Mahayuti’ government. BJP, whose core voters in the state are north Indians and Brahmins, is hoping to attract the Marathi youth in pockets of Mumbai, Nasik, Thane with the support of Raj Thackeray. On the other hand, Raj has been seen full-heartedly supporting Hindutva over the past couple of years. Hence, it will become easy for the BJP to justify why they are joining hands with Raj Thackeray in the state.

However, while doing so, some north Indian voters may get hurt as the wounds of 2008 are still fresh in their minds. The BJP thinking of roping in Raj Thackeray also raised questions if they are not confident enought that Shinde-led Shiv Sena can attract Marathi votes for their alliance. According to the sources, BJP brought in the NCP into this alliance because the party was not sure how many votes could Shinde fetch from rural areas to make their mission 400+ successful in the Lok Sabha elections. The Shinde-led Sena has not yet managed to hamper the sympathy that Uddhav Thackeray’s faction has got after the split in the party.

Though nothing has been officially confirmed by BJP and MNS about their alliance, Raj Thackeray holding a meeting with Amit Shah in Delhi is being seen as a major development. As per sources, Raj Thackeray has put forth his demand to contest one seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha Election and also wants BJP support in Maharashtra Assembly Elections later this year. Sources also indicated that Raj Thackeray may ask for the South Mumbai seat his party. At present, this seat is with Shiv Sena UBT and BJP leader Rahul Narwekar has already started his preparation. In such a scenario, if MNS gets this seat, it may not go down well with the core voter of BJP in the South Mumbai constituency. The MNS was at number two on the seat in the 2009 Lok Sabha Election and at number three in the following elections in 2014 and 2019. Although, the BJP did not contest the 2014 and 2019 elections from this seat as they were in alliance with undivided Shiv Sena, the party holds a strong support on the ground here. If this constituency gets passed on to MNS, it could certainly have an impact during the state assembly elections on BJP seats in South Mumbai.

There is no doubt that the BJP wants to rope in as many like-minded parties by their side for the success of their mission 400+ and Narendra Modi becoming the Prime Minister for the third time. In the state of Maharashtra, where the fight is directly between BJP and Uddhav Thackeray, having Raj Thackeray, who has great oratory skills, by their side will help them spread the vision of Modi and the agenda of ‘Mahayuti’, while also attracting the youth of Maharashtra.