Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Mumbai has put the BJP on combat mode with an eye on ‘Mission Mumbai 150 plus’. Amit Shah clearly indicated that his two-day tour was – fight to finish Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in Mumbai. Since Amit Shah arrived in Mumbai, he visited the Lalbaugcha Raja, one of the city’s most famous Ganesh mandals. He went on to become deputy CM, Mumbai party chief and many leaders of the ruling party. This time he visited Mumbai with his beloved wife; they both not only seek darshan but gave a powerful message of togetherness.
In spite of Shah’s hectic and brief visit to the city he gave a personal visit to Shinde’s residence to subtly convey a message to rivals that the political partnership between the BJP and the rebel Sena faction is here to stay. During his meeting with the CM, Shah echoed BJPs unconditional support to the Shinde Sena, thus laying the groundwork for the two parties to contest all future elections — to the BMC, Thane Municipal Corporation and 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections — together. Mumbai is Shah’s birthplace and also now it is his ego to take on Shiv Sena who betrayed them once. Political chanakya had multiple motives behind his visit and preliminarily he wants Shiv Sena to get rooted out form Maharashtra politics. He reasserts the BJP’s dominance in the upcoming BMC elections. On the offensive while launching the party poll campaign, he reopened old wounds and cried out “betrayal and backstabbing” by Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray during the 2019 state assembly elections and said that his “greed” was the reason his own party turned against him.
He openly said teach Uddhav a lesson and show him his place in Mumbai politics. Shah feels Uddhav betrayed them after seeking votes in the names of Narendra Modi and Devendra Fadnavis. He should be punished by winning Mumbai. The BJP’s target is to win 150 seats in the civic poll. While exhorting party workers to defeat Thackeray’s faction, he asserted that the Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde-led leaders are the real Shiv Sena. Shah asserted, “I want to say it again that we never promised Uddhav Thackeray the post of chief minister. We practice politics openly, not in closed rooms.”
The Union minister said those who ditch somebody in politics never become successful. “Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership has become weak and reached its present state due to its politics of betrayal. The BJP should dominate the politics in Mumbai. Spelling out the BJP’s future political line, he also said the party wants to end the anti-Hindu politics in Maharashtra. Meanwhile, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis asked party workers to treat the upcoming BMC elections as if they are “the last and work hard for the party’s victory”.
In a twist that few saw coming post the tumultuous political events which led to the demise of the MVA, the BJP’s central leadership gave the coveted chief minister’s post to Shinde. Many read the move as a reward to Shinde for breaking up the Sena and weakening Uddhav Thackeray’s hold on the party. With 40 of Sena’s 55 MLAs on his side, Shinde reduced the strength of the Uddhav faction to just 15 MLAs. He even engineered a split in the parliamentary party by wearing away 12 out of 18 Sena MPs. In a twist that few saw coming post the tumultuous political events which led to the demise of the MVA, the BJP’s central leadership gave the coveted chief minister’s post to Shinde. Many read the move as a reward to Shinde for breaking up the Sena and weakening Uddhav Thackeray’s hold on the party. With 40 of Sena’s 55 MLAs on his side, Shinde reduced the strength of the Uddhav faction to just 15 MLAs.
The Shiv Sena has reacted sharply against Amit Shah’s blistering attack against the party president Uddhav Thackeray and its claim to win 150 seats in the upcoming BMC elections. The Shiv Sena deputy leader and former mayor Kishori Pednekar told media that the Shiv Sena will retain power in BMC.
Meanwhile Danve also took a dig at Shah and BJP saying why they need BMC when the entire country is under their control? After realising that nothing would happen, now BJP is desperately chasing MNS to bring the Raj Thackeray-led party on board for BMC elections. Despite BJP’s machinations, Maharashtra’s new generation will remain with Shiv Sena. He added that Shiv Sena will retain its power in BMC, well this time people are not with Shiv Sena for sure. It is a tough task for Shiv Sena and NCP to gain as many seats as they won last time. Let’s see who gets the mandate.
