SHIV SENA TO GET CONSOLIDATED MINORITY BACKING?

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena, which abandoned its ideological alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2019 and, formed an allied government with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Indian National Congress (INC), is expecting a windfall of minority community votes in its favour in all forthcoming Maharashtra elections.

Confirming this development, a senior party leader told First India, “Even before the Gyanvapi mosque/temple controversy or the one stoked by BJP over the Aurangzeb and Afzal Khan tombs, the minority community had only consolidated their vote in favour of the Sena. It is viewed as the party that can take on the BJP in the future.”

According to a Sena leader, minority community representatives have not only been communicating their support but also, expressing their willingness to reconcile to the Hindutva ideology that the Shiv Sena propounds.

“It is surprising that some of the Muslim leaders have been emphasizing that the Sena must not lose its groundswell of support among the Hindu community,” the Sena leader told First India.

When contacted, a senior BJP leader-- who did not disclose identity for fear of blowback- -also confirmed the Muslim support of Sena. “Our internal assessments on the subject have also indicated a tectonic shift among the Muslim community that seems to be favouring the Shiv Sena. It is particularly evident in urban centres like Mumbai where civic elections are imminently due. We are analyzing it for implications in the forthcoming elections,” he confirmed.

The Shiv Sena and the BJP, while in alliance in the Maharashtra government in 2017, had engaged in an electoral battle for supremacy during the last BMC elections. At the time, while the Sena had bagged 85 civic councillor seats in Mumbai, the BJP came a close second with 83 seats.

Unlike 2017 polls, the Sena will be contesting forthcoming BMC elections in alliance with the NCP, with the Congress also agreeing to the alliance, in principle. While this appears to favour the Sena already, a Muslim vote consolidation will additionally strengthen the party’s bid to retain its hold over India’s richest civic corporation.