Flailing Sena (UBT), NCP (SP)'s outreach ahead of polls

Reunion buzz among two factions of the state's once powerful parties — the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) — is gathering pace in anticipation of elections to 687 urban and rural local bodies later this year.

- Faisal Malik, Saurabh Kulshrestha, Yogesh Joshi and Yogesh Naik

[e-mail] MUMBAI/PUNE: The Shiv Sena (UBT) has been reaching out to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray while NCP (SP) is attempting to reconnect with its breakaway faction led by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.

The speculations over a reunion between the Thackeray cousins — Raj and Uddhav — started after the former's remarks in a podcast with filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar last month. In the interview, Raj said he could work with Uddhav "in the interest of Maharashtra," which led the latter to express that he was willing "to set aside minor disputes" if the MNS chief stopped associating with "those who were working against Maharashtra."

While there has been no word from Raj since, Uddhav faction's leaders intermittently insist that Shiv Sena (UBT) is keen on the reunion.

On the other hand, recently a couple of meetings between NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, and his nephew and head of NCP Ajit Pawar at public and private platforms — Pune's Vasantdada Sugar Institute and at the engagement ceremony of Ajit's son Jay — stoked reunion rumors, which gained strength when Pawar senior told media persons in Pune last week that a section of leaders in his party were keen to join forces with the Ajit-led faction, and that the ball was in his daughter Supriya Sule's court for a final call.

The pull and push between both factions are likely to become heightened, as on May 6, a two-member bench of the Supreme Court directed the state election commission (SEC) to hold long-pending elections to the local bodies in the next four months. It means elections for urban and rural local bodies, including 29 municipal corporations and 32 district councils, could be held after the monsoon. Touted as "mini-assembly polls," the forthcoming elections will reveal if the ruling Mahayuti still enjoys the support of the people or the opposition parties are bouncing back after suffering a severe setback in the last assembly elections.