Shiv Sena’s support is crucial for NDA as the party has a total vote pool of around 25, 893.
Shiv Sena is likely to offer support to the NDA’s presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind. Initially Sena had reservations against supporting presidential candidate and had asked BJP to first name its candidate for the post or choose either RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat and Agriculture Expert MS Swaminathan or nominate a candidate of their choice for the president’s post. BJP has chosen Dalit leader Ram Nath Kovind with an eye on the forthcoming assembly elections in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. By proposing Kovind’s name the party is trying to woo Dalit voters ahead of crucial polls. BJP also is keen to shed its pro-Hindutva image and counter parties like BSP, JD (U), CPI, CPM and RJP who always allege the party as anti-Dalit. Kovind’s nomination will help the party to consolidate Dalit vote bank ahead of polls. Kovind would become the second Dalit President of India, after KR Narayanan who served as the President from 1997 to 2002.
According to sources, “Shiv Sena’s support is crucial for NDA as the party has a total vote pool of around 25, 893. If Sena votes in favour of then his victory will be a cakewalk. On the other hand, if the party abstains from voting then it will create troubles for BJP.”
BJP president Amit Shah said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already had a word with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh about BJP’s candidate for presidential poll. I hope that other parties too will come forward to support us. Despite differences we have to take all parties into confidence.”
Shah had met Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at Matoshree on Sunday, apparently assured him that the BJP parliamentary board would consult all NDA constituents before finalising its nominee. He had earlier called on Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu of TDP to seek his support for the NDA’s presidential nominee.
Sena has been at loggerheads with BJP over various issues like farm loan waiver and demonetisation. The party has often attacked BJP’s style of functioning through its mouthpiece Saamna. Earlier Sena had asked BJP to choose either RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat and Agriculture Expert MS Swaminathan or nominate a candidate of their choose for the president’s post. The meeting which was held at Matoshree was also attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fandavis and BJP state unit president Raosaheb Danve and Yuva Sena president Aditya Thackeray
On the other hand, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said, “Amit Shah had met Uddhav Thackeray to seek support for the presidential candidate. However, Thackeray will have a meeting with party workers and take a decision in this regard.”
For the past two presidential elections, the Sena has broken away with the NDA and backed Congress nominees Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee. Voting for the presidential election is scheduled on July 17, while the counting will take place on July 20, four days before Mukherjee’s term ends.
