With 84 of the 227 seats, Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena is in pole position to run the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as the single-largest party. Despite all their animosity, the BJP and Sena need each other. They reunited after the 2014 assembly elections to form the government. They will have to now. Unless the Congress supports the Sena, Sena will not be able to take the gaddy.
However, it is Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who has emerged as the man of the match this election season as he has successfully been able to expand the BJP’s footprint across the city and the state. The BJP has nearly trebled its tally, jumping from 31 in 2012 to 82 in 2017. That’s phenomenal by any standard.It’s not easy to dare the tiger in its own den. But Fadnavis almost singlehandedly challenged the Sena on its home turf.
What’s also clear is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetization was not an issue for Mumbaikars. Had it been – as claimed by the Sena and Congress – there would have been a mass revolt against the BJP and on voting day, the city would have expressed its voice.
However, in 2017, the separation pangs were not as dramatic. And one reason for Uddhav’s confidence was that he knew Mumbai was the Sena’s bastion. While the Sena would have hoped for at least 10 more seats, its success is also based on the fact that no other party is more rooted in the city.
The perception is that Aaditya Thackeray is partly responsible for changing the Sena’s image from a party of “goondas” to a party of greater moderation. Over the past few years, the soft-spoken, 26-year-old Aaditya has not allowed hot heads to flex their muscle in the infamous “Sena-style”. The party’s anti-North Indian/Muslim politics have also taken a deliberate.
Lets hope they will go together for the welfare of the people.
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