Mumbai: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said BJP chief Rajnath Singh and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi have assured him that MNS will not be included in the alliance. He also states that long standing ties with BJP have been normalized.
Uddhav said in the last part of his interview to party mouth piece ‘Saamana’ that “MNS will not be included in the alliance at any cost and an assurance to this effect has been given by Rajnath Singh and Narendra Modi. There is no need to fear split in votes because people will vote for a stable and strong government and show the door to spoilers.”
Without naming to former president Nitin Gadkari, Uddhav said that Shiv Sena-BJP ties were cordial and tensions happened because of one person.
He said, “The question is whether he was authorised to initiate talks with Raj and whether he had spoken to all the alliance partners before doing so.”
Uddhav said Raj’s party had also put up candidates where NCP was contesting but not against BJP over the question of MNS fielding candidates against Sena nominees. Uddhav said Rajnath Singh and Modi were in constant touch with him.
He claimed, “Shiv Sena has been the oldest ally of the BJP and has been with the party through thick and thin. People like Ram Vilas Paswan are joining because things are looking good for the BJP-led NDA.”
Uddhav also expressed confidence that AAP factor will not work in Maharashtra. He said, “In Delhi, if BJP had declared its chief ministerial candidate on time, the party could have got majority.”
Bureau Report
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