After the old photos of Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray and Jaidev Thackeray were posted on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s official facebook page MNS Adhikrut speculations are rife whether both Uddhav and Raj will come together ahead of Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal election scheduled to be held in October. The MNS which managed to win only one seat in the assembly election last year is already losing its foothold in the state. The traditional Marathi voters too have deserted MNS. On the other hand, Shiv Sena is at loggerheads with its ruling partner BJP.
Sena has been criticising the policies of the BJP run government in Maharashtra through its editorial published in the party mouthpiece Saamna. The party also is planning to contest 150 seats in the Bihar assembly election. Shiv Sena is likely to go solo in the Kalyan-Dombivli civic body election due its differences with the BJP. There were already reports in media that Sena might go for a pre-poll alliance with MNS for the Kalyan-Dombivli municipal corporation election. The timing of uploading the photos on facebook too has triggered a debate on social media about a patch up between the estranged cousins.
MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar said people should not politicise this issue. He said, “Raj, Uddhav and Jaidev are brothers and the uploading of their photographs on social media has nothing to do with politics. However it would be good if both Raj and Uddhav resolve their differences and come together ahead of the Kalyan-Dombivali civic body election.”
BJP MLA Ram Kadam said, “Shiv Sena is giving a deaf ear to MNS. Both the parties are not coming together for the Kalyan Dombivli elections. MNS is doing this to just to remain in news and garner publicity. This is just a political stunt of MNS.”
Anil Shidore who handles MNS Adhikrut’s facebook page said, “There is no specific reason why these photos were posted ahead of coming Kalyan-Dombivali Elections, as the elections continue to happen in some parts of the state. So it was just a co-incidence that the MNS Adhikrut team found these rare photographs now, and we posted it. Every member of MNS has always been fond of seeing such rare photographs of their leader, so there is nothing political about it.”
When AV spoke to Sunil Shegaonkar, a Kandivali resident he said, “Whatever is posted on Facebook is not true. We can’t say that both Uddhav and Raj will come together on the basis of photographs uploaded on social media. Bal Thackeray had said that both of them can take a decision in this regard.”
Kiran Shelke, a Borivali resident said, “Such type of news has been reported earlier too. Whatever decision they take it should be in the interest of the state. Let both Uddhav and Raj make an official announcement regarding this and we should not read too much into it.”
Umesh Patil, a Malad resident said, “Just because Uddhav and Raj Thackeray’s photo is posted on social media doesn’t mean that they will together. Let them decide what they want to do with their political career.”
“If Uddhav and Raj comes together then it will benefit both of them as they can consolidate their party’s position in Maharashtra. The state had suffered a lot after both of them had parted ways” said Urvesh Shah a businessman from Kandivali.
“We can’t make conclusion based on the photos posted on facebook. It’s too premature to make a comment about Uddhav and Raj patch up now” said Rajesh Nemade a Dahisar resident.
