Never called for dissolution of INDIA bloc, MVA: Raut

A day after announcing that the Shiv Sena (UBT) would contest the local body elections on its own, party MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday clarified that he had never suggested that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) should be disbanded.

- Saurabha Kulshreshtha

MUMBAI:

The decision, he underlined, related to local body elections alone, and should not be misconstrued.

"Neither has my party nor I said that the INDIA bloc or the MVA should be dissolved," said Raut, after the Sena (UBT)'s decision to go it alone in the local elections triggered talk of an impending split in the opposition coalition comprising the Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP-SP.

"Congress leaders should listen carefully and patiently, and refrain from jumping to conclusions," he said, reacting to the view expressed by a few Congress leaders that the MVA allies should stick together, even for elections to local self-government bodies.

The leaders also said they would discuss the issue with Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, who also leads the MVA coalition.

"The MVA was formed for the assembly polls and INDIA bloc for the Lok Sabha elections. Local body elections are meant to empower party workers and strengthen the organisation at the grassroots level.