Probably under tremendous pressure from within the party and fearing another rebellion, this time by his party MPs, Shiv Sena president and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, bowed to them and decided to extend support to NDA candidate Smt Draupadi Murmu for Presidential seat on July 18.
Thackeray thus avoided a vertical split within the party as already suffered a major blow when his party leader the then PWD Minister in his Cabinet Eknath Shinde led a group of about 39 MLAs to desert him and later became State Chief Minister last month.Yesterday, about 12 out of 19 Members of Parliament of Sena had attended a meeting with Thackeray and expressed their view urging him to support NDA candidate.
The Sena MPs meeting authorized Thackeray to take a call and accordingly in a televised speech today, Thackeray announced his party’s decision to vote for Murmu and thereby virtually dump the joint Opposition nominee former Finance and External Affairs Minister Yashwant Singh in the race.
Thackeray claimed this is not first time Shiv Sena was against the tide as his father and founder of Sena Balasaheb Thackeray had favoured Congress nominee Pratibha Patil, justifying that she would be first person from Maharashtra to occupy the highest office in the country.
But this time in the wake of rebellion by Eknath Shinde and his subsequently becoming Chief MInister, forming a government supported by BJP, has probably prompted him to rethink his party stand and a majority of MPs supporting NDA nominee.
Party MPs yesterday were indirectly in favour of a patch up with Shinde camp and also as a future strategy to enter into electoral alliance with erstwhile partner BJP This clearly shows a tone down stance of Sena after the rebellion and dislodging his government.
Though Thackeray have now made it public about voting for Murmu but on the other hand has invited the wrath of MVA partners both Congress and NCP.
Since NCP supremo, Sharad Pawar was one of the architect of picking up joint Opposition Candidate Sinha and held a couple of rounds meeting, even hosting a second meeting at his place in Delhi, Both NCP and Congress have been left in lurch.
But for Thackeray keeping his flock together is more important than thinking of remaining in MVA and following Pawar and Congress leaders.
…Joseph Rao – Senior Journalist
