Jolt to MNS: Prominent leaders suffer defeat
Majority of its candidates lost the elections against Shiv Sena candidates
Mumbai: Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) got a big jolt in the assembly poll results. With its tally coming down from 13 to 4, all the prominent leaders of the party have lost the elections like Bala Nandgaonkar, Nitin Sardesai and Vasant Geete.
Significantly, majority of its candidates lost the elections against Shiv Sena candidates. A glance on the results came so far shows that six of his MLA’s lost the contest against Shiv Sena candidates and all are the big names of the seven-year old party.
For instance, Bala Nandgaonkar and MLA from Sewri constituency lost to Shiv Sena’s Ajay Chaudhari. He was said to be second in command in MNS after Raj Thackeray.
Liksewise Shishir Shinde another senior most leader and MLA of the party lost to Ashok Patil of the Shiv Sena from Bhandup West constituency.
Nitin Sardesai (MNS, general secretary) lost to Shiv Sena’s Sada Sarvankar with 2735 votes from Mahim constituency. Pravin Darekar MLA from Magathane was defeated by Shiv Sena’s Rajaram Surve and Mangesh Sangle another MLA of the party was defeated by Sunil Raut of the Sena from Vikroli assembly constituency.
Vasant Geete MLA from Nashik Central constituency was routed by Devyani Farande of the BJP with a huge margin of 25298 votes.
More importantly, another MNS MLA Ram Kadam who fought this assembly polls on BJP ticket from Ghatkopar won the elections.
Political analyst believe that Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray succeeded in proving his supremacy over MNS especially when Shiv Sena was contesting the assembly polls in the absence of Bal Thackeray, late Shiv Sena supremo for the first time since its inception.