Raj spoils Sena's party in Thane polls

Milind Ballal / TNN / Jun 5, 2006, 01:50 IST

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Thackeray's MNS grabbed 143 gram panchayat seats of the 180 it contested in Thane district.

THANE: A desire to see fresh faces and new initiatives because of disillusionment with the tried and the tested is being touted as the reason for Raj Thackeray's newly founded Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) making an impressive debut in the first-ever elections it contested last week.
Thackeray's MNS grabbed 143 gram panchayat seats of the 180 it contested in Thane district and even managed to grab power in 12 gram panchayats.
"We are satisfied with the outcome of the polls. The efforts of all our office bearers during the past three months have paid rich dividends," noted Rajan Gavand of the MNS, when commenting on the victory in the stronghold of the Shiv Sena, the party founded and led by Raj's uncle Bal Thackeray and whose executive president is Raj's cousin Uddhav.
Expressing displeasure with the way things were being run in the Sena, Raj had rebelled from the party and started the MNS.

Besides being a Sena bastion, over the years the BJP, Congress, NCP and CPM have all cultivated vote banks across Thane district. MNS's successful foray into local politics is now being keenly watched by political observers in the state.
"People are fed up with the existing political parties. They wanted a change. They have thus given us an opportunity to meet their expectations," said Kundnan Sankhe, MNS office-bearer from Palghar.

The MNS won eight seats in that taluka. Arun Kasar, MNS office-bearer from Shahpur, said the anti-incumbency factor played a part.
"Raj Thackeray has definitely impressed the younger voter. His charisma seems to have done the magic," he said.
"Local elections are fought on the personal merits of the candidate and politics takes a back seat," said another MNS office-bearer Paresh Rodke.
The MNS had not been viewed as a serious contender as it was considered a newcomer by detractors. Therefore, the results are a jolt to the party's better-known rivals. The success will no doubt boost confidence in the MNS and cause uneasiness in rival camps, particularly the Sena.
However, this has not stopped a few marriages of convenience. MNS has joined hands with the CPM in Velepada and Vikramgad, the BJP in Wada and even the Congress and NCP to wrest power in 12 gram panchayats. In some places,
Muslims as well as Dalits rallied behind MNS candidates.
Speaking to TOI, Deepak Bhoir, BJP officebearer from Wada, said, "It is our first pact with the MNS. We had to prefer them to the Sena as the younger cadre in our party were more comfortable working with the new outfit.
New voters seem fed up with the established politicians and are expecting more from Raj Thackeray." He, however, clarified that the alliance did not mean the end of any future tie-up with the Sena.
The Sena was completely routed in Mokhada. Devendra Vaidya, former taluka president of the Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena, who later shifted his loyalties to Raj, said, "We have become the deciding factor in the sharing of power.
The Sena will find it very difficult to retain power. Sena leaders are responsible for the downfall as there is absolutely no organisational networking in that party."
The MNS was also responsible for the BJP's rout in Vikramgad, a BJP stronghold."This is just the beginning. We will make our mark in the forthcoming panchayat samiti and zilla parishad elections. Our next step will be to give concrete shape to the dreams of rural youth. Generating employment through a cooperative movement will be our priority," said Gavand, who coordinated with MNS office-bearers in rural areas.

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