Cracks in MVA? Shiv Sena (UBT) Mulls Going Solo Next Time

MUMBAI:
Days after suffering a debacle in Maharashtra Assembly elections, fissures appeared in the Maha Vikas Aghadi with at least one alliance partner indicating going solo in the future polls, here on Wednesday.

In poll post-mortem meetings, some leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT) have expressed views seeking to contest the next elections, possibly starting with the upcoming civic bodies polls, independently and to rebuild the party afresh for the challenges ahead.

“Some of our leaders have opined that the Shiv Sena (UBT) failed to get the desired support in the MVA-INDIA bloc and suggested that the party should rebuild itself for all the 288 Assembly seats for the future elections, and fight on its own strength,” said senior functionary and Leader of Opposition (Council) Ambadas Danve.

The MVA allies Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT)-Nationalist Congress Party (SP) plus the INDIA bloc, together managed 46 seats total in the Assembly elections, washing out its spectacular united performance in the Lok Sabha polls barely six months ago.

Besides Danve, outgoing Leader of Opposition in Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar (Congress) and NCP (SP) Spokesperson Mahesh Tapase appeared to sing different tunes for the upcoming polls.

Brushing aside Danve’s contentions, Wadettiwar countered by saying that “the three MVA partners contested both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections together, “but we can also say a similar thing if needed”.

Tapase guardedly said that in local bodies, the party accords freedom to the local units to enter into alliances or contest independently depending on the ground situation, which could differ in each district.

All the dazed parties are currently engaged in multiple review meetings and conducting political autopsies on the reasons behind the unexpected verdict with fingers pointing at the Electronic Voting Machines, among others.

Danve grimly admitted that while winning-losing elections is normal in politics, “what happened in the Assembly polls this time is totally unexpected and hence the party rank-and-file are putting forth their views” to trudge alone.

In the recent elections shocker for the MVA, the Shiv Sena (UBT) was catapulted to the top with 20 seats, followed by Congress bagging 16, NCP (SP) winning 10 and other smaller allies managing at least three more seats.

Simultaneously, the entire state opposition parties like Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, NCP (SP), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Prahar Janshakti Party and others have raised a chorus for return to the traditional ballot paper voting and junking the EVMs, besides some losing candidates seeking the legal remedies.