On tie-up with Raj Thackeray’s MNS, Devendra Fadnavis sees one roadblock

Raj Thackeray had recently indicated that his party will reinvent itself with a new identity and a new ideology by leaning right.

Former Maharashtra chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis has said that there is no scope of alliance with Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navniman Sena (MNS) since there are differences in ideologies of the two parties.

“There is a difference in the ideologies of MNS and BJP. We have met many times, but there is no scope for an alliance. Till the time there are differences in ideologies, we will not come together,” Fadnavis said on Thursday.

“We will consider if their stand changes in the future,” he added.

The speculation about a possible tie-up between the two parties arose after MNS chief Raj Thackeray met Fadnavis on Tuesday. The meeting, which lasted just over an hour, was facilitated by Thackeray’s friend Guruprasad Rege, who is said to be close to Fadnavis. After the Assembly elections, Thackeray had a few meetings with BJP leader Ashish Shelar, who may have influenced his decision.

Raj Thackeray had recently indicated that his party will reinvent itself with a new identity and a new ideology by leaning right.

“A section of our party wants him (Thackeray) to tie up with the BJP considering that the Sena has now allied with its bitter rivals, the NCP and the Congress. Political calculations have changed after the formation of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. We (MNS and BJP) need each other,” a senior MNS leader told HT on condition of anonymity.

He added that BJP will provide the financial muscle to run the tie-up while MNS will help the BJP in countering the MVA on several fronts.

The BJP had lost its long-time ally Shiv Sena soon after the October 2019 state elections, following which the latter brokered a three-party alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress to form a government in Maharashtra.