Shiv Sena snub to ally BJP

Thane: After criticising BJP through the party’s mouthpiece, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said encouraged by his party’s performance in Bihar it may contest the Assembly polls in other states as well to “fill the vacuum of Hindutva thought”.

Shiv Sena, which is part of the BJP-led NDA, had contested the elections in Bihar independently, though without success. Addressing a press meet at Kalyan after the election of Shiv Sena nominee Rajendra Devlekar as mayor of Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation, Thackeray said earlier the party was not serious about contesting polls outside Mahara-shtra but now it had realised that it could enter other states as well on the plank of Hindutva.

“Now we have realised that we should move out to spread the message and fill the vacuum of Hindutva thought in the country,” he said. “I did not visit Bihar but our leaders including Sanjay Raut campaigned there and we could manage more than two lakh votes. Henceforth if there is a demand by the party workers we will contest the coming Assembly elections in other states too,” he added.

Asked about BJP’s debacle in Bihar, Thackeray said he would not comment but took a jibe at the ally, saying, “BJP leaders, MPs and MLAs themselves are commenting on it, why do you want me to add to that.” In KDMC polls, after an acrimonious campaign in which Sena and BJP targeted each other, Sena emerged as the biggest party with 52 seats in the House of 122, but fell short of majority. It later entered into a pact with BJP, which won 42 seats.

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