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The Shiv Sena’s move to extend support to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s anointment as prime ministerial candidate is a calculated one.
The saffron party is yet to recover from the death of founder and pramukh, Bal Thackeray, dropped its earlier choice of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s prime ministerial candidate, knowing the party would be isolated on this.
The Sena decided to go along with the mood within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and cross- sections of society by declaring support to Modi. Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday spoke to Modi and BJP chief Rajnath Singh even before his estranged cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray could have done likewise. Uddhav has indicated the BJP cannot take the Sena for granted when it comes to the issue of roping in the MNS to forge a grand alliance in Maharashtra.
The Sena clearly sees in Modi a new ‘Hindu Hriday Samrat’ in the absence of Bal Thackeray and believes Modi could be a game changer for the BJP-led NDA to assume power after the ensuing general elections. Sena insiders hope Modi would not water down Hindutva but take it up aggressively against the Congress’ alleged appeasement of minorities.
Besides, a Sena leader, who did not want to be identified, told Business Standard: “Modi could polarise Hindu votes and in Bal Thackeray’s absence, could lead the saffron alliance to win more seats in the coming Lok Sabha elections and later trounce the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party in the assembly elections slated for 2014 in Maharashtra.”
The Sena-BJP alliance has faced successive defeats in the state assembly elections since 1999, while the MNS has turned out to be a divider of their traditional vote bank.
Uddhav became philosophical while describing Modi’s elevation as prime ministerial candidate, saying that after samudra manthans (ocean churning), the nectar had emerged. “Under the present circumstances, if the Congress could be defeated and Hindutva could be promoted, with the country’s reins going in the hands of Modi, the Shiv Sena would wholeheartedly welcome it,” Uddhav said.
The saffron party is yet to recover from the death of founder and pramukh, Bal Thackeray, dropped its earlier choice of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s prime ministerial candidate, knowing the party would be isolated on this.
The Sena decided to go along with the mood within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and cross- sections of society by declaring support to Modi. Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday spoke to Modi and BJP chief Rajnath Singh even before his estranged cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray could have done likewise. Uddhav has indicated the BJP cannot take the Sena for granted when it comes to the issue of roping in the MNS to forge a grand alliance in Maharashtra.
The Sena clearly sees in Modi a new ‘Hindu Hriday Samrat’ in the absence of Bal Thackeray and believes Modi could be a game changer for the BJP-led NDA to assume power after the ensuing general elections. Sena insiders hope Modi would not water down Hindutva but take it up aggressively against the Congress’ alleged appeasement of minorities.
Besides, a Sena leader, who did not want to be identified, told Business Standard: “Modi could polarise Hindu votes and in Bal Thackeray’s absence, could lead the saffron alliance to win more seats in the coming Lok Sabha elections and later trounce the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party in the assembly elections slated for 2014 in Maharashtra.”
The Sena-BJP alliance has faced successive defeats in the state assembly elections since 1999, while the MNS has turned out to be a divider of their traditional vote bank.
Uddhav became philosophical while describing Modi’s elevation as prime ministerial candidate, saying that after samudra manthans (ocean churning), the nectar had emerged. “Under the present circumstances, if the Congress could be defeated and Hindutva could be promoted, with the country’s reins going in the hands of Modi, the Shiv Sena would wholeheartedly welcome it,” Uddhav said.
