Sena has a change of heart, woos Gujaratis
Sena woos Gujaratis, the BJP’s traditional vote bank, who have responded with enthusiasm.
After the Shiv Sena-BJP split, several political pundits had assumed that the Gujarati voters will throw their lot behind the BJP, and that the Sena will be hostile towards the community in a bid to project itself as the exclusive champion of the Marathi manoos. A week after the 25-year-old saffron alliance split, both assumptions have been unfounded.
With the Assembly elections less than two weeks away, the Shiv Sena is going all out to woo not just its Marathi voters, but also the Gujarati community, which has responded with equal enthusiasm.
Over the past few days, however, several from the community, including young professionals, have pledged to vote for the party on October 15, and a few have even become the Sena members. One such newly turned Sainik, 31-year-old Megha Mehta, said she decided to join the party because it has helped resolved day-to-day infrastructure problems in her area.
An advertising professional, Mehta said: “Contrary to popular belief, the Shiv Sena has been helping people from across communities. I like Uddhav Thackeray’s management style and decided to join the party to help in whatever way I can.”
The city’s Gujarati population is estimated to be around 35 lakh, of which at least 15 lakh are eligible to vote, and these voters will play a key role in deciding the outcome of at least 12 seats.
A senior Sena leader said, “Uddhav Thackeray has always maintained that Gujaratis have a role to play in the city. Recently, he had distanced himself from his loyalist Sanjay Raut, the Saamna editor, following a controversial editorial in the party mouthpiece questioning Gujaratis’ loyalty to Mumbai and Maharashtra. Following the Lok Sabha win, Aditya Thackeray had thanked the community for backing the NDA.” The Sena sources pointed out that while the party was committed to the cause of Marathi manoos, it didn’t believe in “alienating” anyone. “The Sena planning core team has representation from across communities. We have always fielded several non-Marathi candidates and this time around, we have Uttam Agarwal contesting from Borivali, Vinay Jain in Malad, Kishore Jain in Pen, and Suresh Jain from Jalgaon,” a senior Sena leader said.
This Assembly elections, the Sena has been assured support by the Maharashtra Sikh Association, among others. The association’s president, Sardar Daljit Singh Bal, said: “During the anti-Sikh riots in 1984, Bal Thackeray was the one who ensured the community in Mumbai wasn’t harmed.”
Actor Sameer Dattani, a Sena supporter, said he was impressed with the fact that the party has moved with the times. “I find the party very active on social media and that’s a wonderful way to connect with the youth. I’ve been in touch with the Yuva Sena," Dattani said.
After the Shiv Sena-BJP split, several political pundits had assumed that the Gujarati voters will throw their lot behind the BJP, and that the Sena will be hostile towards the community in a bid to project itself as the exclusive champion of the Marathi manoos. A week after the 25-year-old saffron alliance split, both assumptions have been unfounded.
With the Assembly elections less than two weeks away, the Shiv Sena is going all out to woo not just its Marathi voters, but also the Gujarati community, which has responded with equal enthusiasm.
It is an ironic change for both the Shiv Sena - which was born in 1966 with the slogan “Uthao lungi, bajao pungi”, highlighting its anti-south Indian stance - and the Gujaratis, who had traditionally viewed the Sena with fear that they could always be the party’s next target.
Over the past few days, however, several from the community, including young professionals, have pledged to vote for the party on October 15, and a few have even become the Sena members. One such newly turned Sainik, 31-year-old Megha Mehta, said she decided to join the party because it has helped resolved day-to-day infrastructure problems in her area.
An advertising professional, Mehta said: “Contrary to popular belief, the Shiv Sena has been helping people from across communities. I like Uddhav Thackeray’s management style and decided to join the party to help in whatever way I can.”
The city’s Gujarati population is estimated to be around 35 lakh, of which at least 15 lakh are eligible to vote, and these voters will play a key role in deciding the outcome of at least 12 seats.
A senior Sena leader said, “Uddhav Thackeray has always maintained that Gujaratis have a role to play in the city. Recently, he had distanced himself from his loyalist Sanjay Raut, the Saamna editor, following a controversial editorial in the party mouthpiece questioning Gujaratis’ loyalty to Mumbai and Maharashtra. Following the Lok Sabha win, Aditya Thackeray had thanked the community for backing the NDA.” The Sena sources pointed out that while the party was committed to the cause of Marathi manoos, it didn’t believe in “alienating” anyone. “The Sena planning core team has representation from across communities. We have always fielded several non-Marathi candidates and this time around, we have Uttam Agarwal contesting from Borivali, Vinay Jain in Malad, Kishore Jain in Pen, and Suresh Jain from Jalgaon,” a senior Sena leader said.
This Assembly elections, the Sena has been assured support by the Maharashtra Sikh Association, among others. The association’s president, Sardar Daljit Singh Bal, said: “During the anti-Sikh riots in 1984, Bal Thackeray was the one who ensured the community in Mumbai wasn’t harmed.”
Actor Sameer Dattani, a Sena supporter, said he was impressed with the fact that the party has moved with the times. “I find the party very active on social media and that’s a wonderful way to connect with the youth. I’ve been in touch with the Yuva Sena," Dattani said.
