Raj Thackeray may play key role after poll results in Maharashtra: Bala Nandgaonkar

Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) candidate Bala Nandgaonkar has said his party chief Raj Thackeray could play a key role in "new power equations" which emerge after results of the upcoming state assembly polls.

Noting Mumbai's limited land and high population density, Nandgaonkar in an interview to PTI asserted his party's stand had not been against the people from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar or other states, and their past agitation caused no harm to anyone in Shivadi constituency, from where is the MNS contestant.

Both the MNS and its chief Raj Thackeray will rise much higher politically in times ahead, he asserted.

The MNS won 13 assembly seats (out of 288) in the 2009 elections, its first state polls after the party came into existence. In the 2019 state polls, the MNS got 1 seat.

The party supported the ruling Mahayuti in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year, but is contesting the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections independently.

"In this election itself you will see several people will sit at home (will get defeated) and good people will enter politics. Also, Raj Thackeray could play a key role in new power equations after these assembly elections," former four-term MLA Nandgaonkar told PTI at the MNS office at Lalbaug in central Mumbai.

Nandgaonkar is pitted against Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate and sitting MLA Ajay Choudhari, who is seeking a third term.

Choudhari defeated Nandgaonkar in the 2014 assembly election.

Campaigning while being wheelchair-bound due to a fractured leg, Nandgaonkar said he has covered 70 per cent of the constituency through house-to-house visits.

His daughter Srushti has been continuing the door-to-door outreach, while he appeals to voters from downstairs in buildings using a speaker.

Asked if north Indians will vote for him due to his party's stand against them in the past, Nandgaonkar said the north Indians in his constituency need not worry.

"We respect all and continue to do so. I respectfully wanted to tell them, specially north Indians, not to worry at all. Till Bala Nandgaonkar is there, you don't have to bother," he asserted.

He said their stand had not been against the people from UP, Bihar or other states, and that their past agitation caused no harm to anyone in the constituency.

Nandgaonkar further said their stand was that facilities should first go to those who have lived in the city for generations and then to others.

The Shivadi assembly constituency, part of Girangaon mill district and traditionally a Marathi stronghold, has seen a significant rise in the north Indian and Gujarati-Marwadi population over the past two decades.

Some pockets of the assembly segment also have Muslim population.

Asked whether Muslims would vote for him in view of the MNS protest a couple of years back against loudspeakers blaring 'azaan' and its pro-Hindutva stand, Nandgaon said it is an issue at the party level, and not a factor in the constituency.

Nandgaonkar earned the reputation of a 'giant killer' when he, while contesting for the first time as the Shiv Sena candidate, defeated political heavyweight Chhagan Bhujbal from Mazgaon assembly seat here in 1995.

He is contesting his sixth assembly election and third from Shivadi, from where he had won in 2009 but lost in 2014.

Asked how confident he is about victory, Nandgaonkar said he trusts his fate is in the voters' hands.

"People decide whom to make victorious or defeat. That time also, people had decided that I should win and defeat Bhujabal sahab," the MNS leader said.

On facing election from the constituency after a gap of 10 years, Nandgaonkar said he was always in touch with voters, even during the COVID-19 period.

"Even though I did not contest elections, I was always with the people and hence they respect me with love," Nandgaonkar said.

Nandgoankar said he has prepared the constituency's development blueprint, named as "Katibaddha".

Asked if the people would believe in it considering his party's 'blueprint' never came to the fore, he said the MNS had prepared a blueprint with five main issues and other problems of Maharashtra and people know about it.

"It is true that we had brought the blueprint after eight years of efforts and on the same day the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance was broken," Nandgaonkar said.