Change is an inevitable part of life, and the only constant, according to the Buddha. Failure to adapt to changing needs results in danger of becoming obsolete. But what if the change is merely a knee-jerk reaction to something, rather than a thorough conviction?
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray has once again changed his stance within six months declaring that his party will be going solo for the state polls and would be a part of the next government.
The political landscape in Maharashtra is gearing up for significant battles in the upcoming assembly elections. The unpredictable leader’s decision to contest the assembly elections independently raised many eyebrows. Three years after its formation, Raj Thackeray’s MNS won 13 Assembly seats in the 2009 Maharashtra Assembly elections. The undivided Shiv Sena received a major setback in their bastion. The erstwhile Parel constituency which was the stronghold of Shiv Sena for years was won by MNS. Bala Nandgaonkar, the MNS leader defeated Sena strongman Dagdu Sakpal by sizable margin in that constituency.
Ahead of the 2014 general elections, Thackeray endorsed Narendra Modi for Prime Minister but at the same time he fielded his own candidates against the BJP’s ally, the Shiv Sena. Raj Thackeray’s confusing tactics prompted his core vote base to shift to BJP, resulting in a dismal performance for the MNS in the 2014 Maharashtra state elections, in which the party bagged just one seat. Since then, Thackery’s MNS has lost a considerable number of seats in several municipal corporations across the state. Ahead of the 2019 Assembly election, Thackeray briefly tried to join hands with the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party.
Raj Thackeray has gone from backing Narendra Modi in 2014 to campaigning against the BJP in 2019 and started strongly peddling the Hindu cause. He also directed his workers to recite the Hanuman Chalisa in front of mosques if loudspeakers are not removed. Hindutva’ and ‘Marathi pride’ will be the pivots of the MNS, he announced. He changed the MNS flag to saffron and later announced a visit to Ayodhya. To keep his political existence intact he kept on changing the sides and shifting the role. As a result the party which got a sizable following in many districts of the state is presently not in a good shape.
It seems obvious that the MNS is trying to fill the political void left by the Shiv Sena when the party joined hands with the secular Congress and Nationalist Congress Party to form an alliance to take power in Maharashtra. But yet to make any impact in that direction. The frequent changes in the stand has cost the party a lot.
Comments