Shiv Sena to fight ally BJP in Gujarat assembly polls

MUMBAI:THE Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena has decided to take on its ally in the Gujarat Assembly polls, scheduled to be held in December.

The Sena, which continues to be the BJP’S ally in the Maharashtra government despite fractious relations, plans to contest between 50 and 70 seats in Gujarat. Significantly, the party did not contest the 2012 Gujarat polls. It had said that it did not want to divide Hindu votes.

A team led by senior Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Desai is in Ahmedabad to identify candidates as well as the seats. Accompanying Desai are the party’s Gujarati faces Rajul Patel and Hemraj Shah. “We have not finalised the numbers yet, but the Sena will contest 50 to 70 seats. We will field candidates from Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, a few seats in Saurashtra, including Rajkot, Kutch, among other constituencies,” Desai told HT.

A senior Sena leader reiterated that the party would extend support to Hardik Patel, leader of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, in the remaining constituencies. So far, Patel has not announced any move to field candidates. The Sena’s move looks to be specifically aimed at hurting the BJP’S chances, though Desai refutes it. “In the past couple of years, the Sena has been fighting against the BJP. We have done it in Maharashtra and other states as well. Wherever we have a sizeable presence, we have contested,” he said.

The Sena will contest the Gujarat polls on the hardline Hindutva agenda, a poll plank once adopted by the BJP. Desai said: “The ideology of the Sena is based on Hindutva, so yes, we will be going all out on that agenda.”