Is the BJP planning a 'Raj Thackeray strategy' to finish Uddhav's Sena in BMC?

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to woo Raj Thackeray to end the winning streak of the Uddhav-led Sena in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Sources stated that the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Sena are wooing the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in an attempt to end the dominance of Uddhav’s party over Mumbai’s civic body. The Shiv Sena has been holding on to the BMC for the past 25 years.

Though the exact alignment is being worked out, there are two options being looked at by the ruling Maharashtra alliance. The first option is to ally with Raj Thackeray as it seeks the Hindu-Marathi nationalist votes that are targeted by the Uddhav camp. While the second option being looked at is to divide the Hindu-Marathi nationalist votes by fielding and backing the MNS candidates tacitly and using it as a vote cutter against the Uddhav-led party.

Detailed discussions on the issue are also likely to take place today as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister is set to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital today, sources added.

The move comes as the ruling allies want to finish the last bastion of Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena in Maharashtra. The polls for BMC are expected to take place in January next year.

Sources stated that the saffron unit believes that the loss of BMC would sound the death knell for the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena as it will be devoid of the much-needed influence and money that comes with the control of the civic body.

Controlling the BMC, which administers India’s economic capital, is considered very important in Maharashtra politics. Apart from being the richest civic body in the country, ruling it also comes with a lot of political might and prestige.

The BJP feels that if it is able to dislodge the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena from the BMC it could spell the death knell for the Thackeray family as it would deprive them of the funds to run their political faction.

In the last elections in 2017, out of 227 seats, Shiv Sena had secured 84 seats in the BMC, while the BJP was able to win 82 wards.

BJP wants to finish off Maha Vikas Aghadi

The BJP hopes to finish the MVA over the next few months. And the party's sights are set on winning the BMC polls where the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction may fight the polls in alliance with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party in an attempt to regain the reins of power in the civic body.

However, with the BJP-Ekhnath Shinde taking over power in Maharashtra, the saffron unit feels this could be the best time for it to win the civic body polls for the first time. The top leadership of the BJP has asked the state leaders to properly strategize for the forthcoming polls and ensure victory for the saffron unit.

It is felt that if the BJP wins the BMC polls, the party cadre would be enthused for the preparation of the Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assembly polls scheduled for 2024, sources said.

Maharashtra, one of the biggest states in the country, elects 48 MPs to the Lok Sabha and is on high priority for the BJP ahead of the 2024 polls.

With the Narendra Modi government set to seek a third term in office, the BJP is aiming to improve its tally of 23 seats won in 2019. The party aims to wrest seats from its former ally Shiv Sena, which had secured 18 seats riding on the back of a strong Modi wave in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.