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Updated June 13th, 2021 at 17:57 IST

Shiv Sena's response to Congress going solo: 'No agreement to contest all polls together'

Shiv Sena has issued a response to Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ally Congress over its decision to contest all elections in Maharashtra separately going forward.

Reported by: Pritesh Kamath
Shiv Sena
IMAGE: ANI/PTI | Image:self
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In a significant political development, Shiv Sena has issued a response to the decision of Congress, which is a part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), to contest all upcoming elections in Maharashtra separately going forward.

Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Nana Patole on Saturday announced that Congress will contest all the local body elections and the assembly elections separately in the future, indicating that it will sever its alliance from the MVA. Addressing Congress workers in Amravati's Tivasa, he asked, "Don't you want to make Nana Patole as CM in 2024?". Asserting that Congress would be the biggest party in 2024 in the state, Nana Patole said that no amount of sidelining will make Congress go.

Responding to this decision, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut has called it a right of the individual party to takes its own decision while highlighting that the MVA alliance was formed on the basis of the common minimum programme and there is no agreement of contesting all upcoming elections together.

'MVA alliance is not a merger of parties, it is based on common minimum program'

"Three different parties having three different ideologies formed this (MVA) government on the basis of the common minimum programme, which has signatures of Sonia Gandhi, Uddhav Thackeray, and Sharad Pawar. The parties have not merged with each other, it is just an alliance to form the government. So every party has the right to take a decision for more power or expansion. We don't have an agreement that we will contest all elections together," Raut said.

"When there is a local election, then the local members take the decision as to what should be done. Our role in the decision making of the assembly election and Lok Sabha election," he added.

The Shiv Sena MP claimed that CM Uddhav Thackeray will complete five years term while rubbishing rumours of a possible change in the chief minister of the state owing to the discontent of Congress.

"This is a misconception that is being spread that CM will be changed after 2.5 years. When the three parties came together, it was decided that Uddhav Thackeray will be the CM for five years. So if anybody says anything in contradiction, that person is merely spreading lies," Raut said.

NCP calls Congress announcement 'too early'

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which is the common thread binding the MVA alliance, has called Congress' decision as 'loud thinking' while contending that it was too early to decide such a thing. NCP MP Majid Memon.

"As far as his statement is concerned, its a loud thinking. But Congress needs to understand the pros and cons if it wants to strengthen its party. It is too early to reach out to the conclusion," said Memon. 

Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena alliance

Shiv Sena, an ideological opposite of Congress, entered into a coalition in the MVA while severing decades-old ties with BJP, to form a tri-partite government. Despite being in alliance in Maharashtra, Congress and Shiv Sena have often clashed on several issues such as the CAA, NRC, Ram Janmabhoomi, and Savarkar among others. But despite several reports of discontent in Congress and its Cabinet Ministers such as Balasaheb Thorat, Ashok Chavan openly expressing disappointment that Congress has no say in the MVA government, the three parties have maintained that the alliance is safe. BJP has however called it an "unholy alliance" and claimed that the MVA government will not last for five years.

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Published June 13th, 2021 at 17:57 IST

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