Goa Election: Shiv Sena launches rare attack on Mamata, says 'TMC's entry will help BJP'

In a rare attack on Mamata Banerjee, Shiv Sena accused her of bolstering BJP's quest to finish the existence of Congress with TMC's foray into the Goa elections. Since forming the Maha Vikas Aghadi government with NCP and Congress, Shiv Sena has been a vocal admirer of Banerjee's brand of politics. On December 1, the TMC supremo met Sena MP Sanjay Raut and Maharashtra Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray in Mumbai in what was perceived as an outreach to regional parties to eventually forge an opposition alliance.

Writing in his ‘Rokthok’ column in Saamana on Sunday, Raut remarked, "I met several people who openly said that BJP won't win a majority this time. BJP will benefit the most from TMC's entry into Goa. That's why crores of rupees are being spent to create the perception of a TMC wave in Goa. I met several people who told me that this money is not being spent by TMC but someone else." 

He added, "Mamata Banerjee is dreaming about a new dawn in Goa by inducting unsteady politicians. This does not befit her image. Destroying the existence of Congress in Goa can be the stand of PM Modi or BJP, but Mamata Banerjee who is fighting BJP is bolstering BJP's anti-Congress pitch. Who will benefit from this in the end"? The criticism of TMC comes at a juncture when the Sena is mulling the possibility of sealing an MVA-like alliance in Goa. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party contested the previous election in an alliance with ousted RSS Goa chief Subhash Velingkar-led Goa Suraksha Manch and MGP and drew a blank. 

Goa elections

In the 2017 Goa Assembly polls, BJP suffered a big blow in the absence of its stalwart leader Manohar Parrikar as it could win only 13 seats in contrast to Congress whose candidates won in 17 constituencies. However, BJP staked claim to form the government with the support of 3 MGP MLAs, 3 GFP MLAs, two Independents and an NCP MLA under the leadership of Parrikar who resigned as the Defence Minister. After he passed away on 17 March 2019, the then Assembly Speaker Pramod Sawant replaced him.

For the upcoming Goa elections, TMC has forged an alliance with MGP. In the last few months, many posters featuring the TMC supremo's photo and the slogan 'Gonychi Navi Sakal' (Goa's new dawn) have been put across the state. After former Goa CM Luizinho Faleiro joined the Mamata Banerjee-led party along with ex-MGP MLA Lavoo Mamledar, several other leaders from other parties including Congress and BJP followed suit. So far, two sitting MLAs- Congress' Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco and Churchill Alemao of NCP have jumped ship to TMC. While voting will take place on February 14, the results shall be out on March 10.