Sanjay Raut, editor of 'Saamana'.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: Amid tense seat-sharing talks among the Maha Vikas Aghadi partners — Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) — reports surfaced that Uddhav Thackeray is in touch with the BJP and may even contest all seats on its own strength if talks fall through.
However, Thackeray’s close aide and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut, who doubles up as the chief spokesperson, denied the reports saying that it was a mischievous rumour being spread by the BJP, which he claimed was in a difficult spot.
State Congress President Nana Patole too denied any such move by Shiv Sena (UBT) and said that such reports were being spread by the BJP.
“We also have a Pegasus. We know what is happening… we know who is spreading this misinformation,” Raut said after back-to-back meetings with Thackeray.
Reports had suggested that Raut had a phone conversation with Union Home Minister and BJP’s chief strategist Amit Shah hinting at a reconciliation between Shiv Sena (UBT) and BJP, which were allies for decades before going their separate ways in 2019.
When it was pointed out that the Congress had allegedly 'flagged' the matter, the Shiv Sena (UBT) MP said that the question of such phone calls was indeed laughable.
Raut also said that collaborating with the BJP or Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Shah would be akin to joining hands with Aurangzeb and Afzal Khan.
“The BJP broke up the (undivided) Shiv Sena founded by late Balasaheb Thackeray, stole its name Shiv Sena and its poll symbol, the bow and arrow, and handed over the state's reins to a ‘traitor’,” he said.
Raut said that the MVA leaders have reached consensus over 210 of the 288 seats. “It is a significant achievement. We aim to contest polls in unison and we will defeat the forces looting Maharashtra,” he said.
Patole, on the other hand, had said that as per Congress' discussions, the seat-sharing equation for 96 seats had been finalised.
Thackeray is expected to hold discussions with NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Tuesday.
“There are no differences within the Maha Vikas Aghadi… talks are going on,” he said.
“There is no truth in the news that the Shiv Sena (UBT) will pull out of the alliance... the BJP is deliberately trying to spread misinformation about the opposition parties. BJP will lose badly in Assembly elections. BJP is playing this game due to the fear of defeat. Even the Congress has not made any such statement,” asserted Patole.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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