With Maharashtra gearing up to celebrate Gudhi Padva, the new year, on Sunday, a message pertaining to Shiv Sena’s alliance with BJP has gone viral on social media. The message, allegedly being spread by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers, states that Shiv Sena will pull out support from the BJP government in the wake of its growing differences with the BJP.

Shiv Sena has, so far, used different tactics and changed its colours to paint the BJP in a bad light. In an unprecedented move, it also supported the Communist Party of India (M) — backed All India Kisan Sabha when it led a march of 15,000 tribal farmers from Nashik to Mumbai while demanding the execution of rights on forest lands.

It was unprecedented because the party had never supported any Left organisation or its demands in the past. For the record, Shiv Sena has clarified that they back the farmers, not the Left. An editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, Saamna, stated that it was Shiv Sena which ended the Left’s dominance in central Mumbai by providing employment to the youths.

If Shiv Sena pulls out of the government and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), following the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), its president Uddhav Thackeray will take a central place in state politics. With a mixture of good networking in urban areas and promising appeal in rural areas, the Shiv Sena has the potential to emerge as the main rival of the BJP by 2019 elections. What Thackeray lacks is the quick decision-making ability and promptness in extending moral and financial support to the workers on the ground.

At a meeting of the party legislators two weeks ago, Thackeray reiterated his plan to go solo in the election even if it proves disastrous for the party. “I won’t mind if we would finish the election badly but they (BJP) should not return to power,” he reportedly told the legislators. He is certainly under pressure to snap ties with the BJP, but he is not sure whether that will help Shiv Sena to grow or will lead to the strengthening of Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Surprisingly, both Congress and NCP leaders told Mail Today, on conditions of anonymity, that Shiv Sena will grow at a tremendous pace if it pulls out from the government. They believe Shiv Sena will eat BJP’s share of votes in urban areas, its bastion. BJP could return to power on the basis of the support it draws in urban areas as well as its strong network in Vidarbha region as Congress and NCP have minimum influence there.

The ball is in Thackeray’s court now. If he pulls out, he will become a hero but will have fewer chances to return to power. If he stays on, he will remain in power but loose his credibility forever. Thackeray is facing the toughest test of his political career so far.

(Courtesy of Mail Today)

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