Those rebellious MLAs of Shiv Sena do not want to be with Congress and NCP for ‘these’ reasons!
Nashik / Pune: The revolt of Eknath Shinde rebel has stirred the political atmosphere. It is claimed that there are 40 to 50 MLAs with Eknath Shinde. Therefore, the MVA Government is in crisis. However, how did Eknath Shinde get the support of so many MLAs? This is currently the topic of discussion. Though the discussion that Shiv Sena MLAs do not want an alliance with NCP-Congress is in a hushed voice, the reason has come to the fore. Eknath Shinde has the support of 40 to 50 MLAs. The only demand of all these MLAs is that Shiv Sena should leave the government with NCP and go with BJP. However, the question of why Shiv Sena MLAs are opposing NCP-Congress has been present for the last few days. Congress MLAs fear that they will lose their constituencies in future if they stay in power with Congress-NCP. This information was given by a senior leader of Shiv Sena while talking to Times of India.
I am not sure if I will get a ticket from the party in the next Lok Sabha elections. Because the candidates of the allies in the Mahavikas Aghadi are willing to contest in that constituency. If, however, our leadership supports them, I will lose my constituency. This was not the case when we had an alliance with the BJP. An Sena MP has said on condition of anonymity that the BJP candidate has never claimed my constituency. With at least 10 municipal elections later this year and several Gram Panchayat and Zilla Parishad elections, the concern of Sena MLAs has increased. Shiv Sena leaders are worried about losing their constituencies and activists to contest the upcoming elections. Shiv Sena has been fighting Congress-NCP for the last three decades. Therefore, even in the minds of the workers, there are differences between the Congress and the NCP. Also, unlike the BJP, it will not be possible to share seats in the elections, said a senior leader.
The rebels feel that the party leadership may leave some seats for them in the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assembly if the seats they win are claimed by the ruling allies. If the party leadership does so, the existing MPs and MLAs can fight as independents or leave their seats for the NCP or the Congress, a senior Sena leader said. When there was an alliance between BJP and Shiv Sena, there were no problems in the elections. Because each party has never claimed the seats it won, said an army leader. In Muktainagar, local leader Chandrakant Patil had tried to get a ticket from the party for the Assembly elections. However, he was rejected as the seat was reserved for the BJP. Later, he resigned, contested as an independent and defeated Rohini Khadse of the BJP. All five Sena MLAs from North Maharashtra – four from Jalgaon and one from Nashik – had fought against the NCP candidates. “We are fighting the NCP and the Congress in many constituencies because they are already our rivals. BJP is a friend of Sena, ”said an independent MLA who supported Shinde.
- Ignoring village-level MLAs
Activists and leaders struggled to reach Shiv Sena at village level. The results were seen in the 2004, 1009 and 2014 elections. The success in the elections can be glorified by giving ministerial posts in power, as the MLAs in rural areas realize. But realizing that those MLAs could not be part of the decision-making process on Matoshri, the gap between Matoshri and rural MLAs widened. That is why the MLA who went with Eknath Shinde is from a rural area. Among them are Agriculture Minister Dada Bhuse Patil, Shambhuraj Desai, Pradip Jaiswal and 8 to 10 MLAs from Marathwada. So, Yogesh Kadam from Konkan division, Deepak Kesarkar, MLA from Khed have also supported the Shinde group.
