Chandrakant Patil meets MNS chief Raj Thackeray

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Chandrakant Patil called on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray at the latter’s residence in Dadar on Friday morning, fuelling speculations over a BJP-MNS tie up in the civic polls slated to be held early next year. The meeting is seen as the first step towards an alliance between the two parties.

After the Shiv Sena snapped ties with the BJP in October 2019 to form the government in Maharashtra with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress, the saffron party was left with no major alliance partner. The BJP is in the search of a partner for the local body elections when 22 municipal corporations, 24 district councils and dozens of other local bodies will have elections.

The MNS enjoys sizable pockets in cities like Mumbai, Nashik, Kalyan-Dombivli and could help the BJP garner votes of Marathi speaking population and denting the vote bank of friend-turnedfoe Sena which effectively plays the Marathi manoos card to get votes of Maharashtrians in metropolitan areas of the state.

The BJP has time and again said that it cannot join hands with the MNS unless the latter shreds its regional and linguistic chauvinism and hatred towards outsiders. Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Devendra

Fadnavis last week said, “We cannot think of an alliance with the MNS unless it adopts inclusive Hindutva and changes its stand towards north Indians.”

Patil, after meeting Thackeray on Friday, said there was neither a discussion over an alliance nor was there any proposal for it. He said he had a conversation with Thackeray on the issue of migrants and was convinced that the MNS chief does not hate migrants. “It was a courtesy visit... When he casually asked about our stand on alliance with the MNS, I had clarified to him about the perception outsiders have in their minds about him. He sent me a clip of his speech delivery before the gathering of north Indians. I have, after hearing it, no doubt in mind that his stand, being a regional leader, is right. If he says that locals should get 80% of jobs and it should be the policy in any given state, there should not be any problem with it,” he said.

Patil’s meeting assumes significance as it was held a day ahead of meetings with party’s central leadership in Delhi. He is expected to discuss the issue with BJP chief JP Nadda and home minister Amit Shah.

The MNS too was reportedly positive about an alliance with the BJP for the upcoming elections. Party leaders conveyed to the BJP that the MNS no longer attacks north Indians. Senior MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar said, “Raj saheb has not of late criticised North Indians. We have conveyed it to BJP leaders by sending a clip of our party chief’s speech. There is no misconception (about our stand) among the people.”

MNS workers have been pressuring their top brass to tie up with the BJP. “We will not be in a position to win beyond 10 seats on our own in the forthcoming Mumbai civic polls. Workers are impatient and need influence and power, which only can be achieved with the tie-up,” said a senior MNS leader.

Many feel the BJP needs the MNS more. “Many BJP candidates lost in 2017 Mumbai civic polls by a few hundred votes, and this is where the MNS vote bank can come in handy,” said another MNS functionary.

The BJP, too, is positive about joining hands with the MNS. “Alliance with the MNS will help us strengthen our roots in Marathi pockets and also dent the Sena, which is our enemy number 1 in Maharashtra,” said a BJP leader.

Chandrakant Patil with Raj Thackeray at the latter’s residence in Dadar, on Friday.