MNS out of Lok Sabha poll fray in Maha

Raj Thackeray-led MNS, which is struggling to stay relevant in the state politics, would not contest next month's Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra.

An MNS leader said party president Raj Thackeray would make his political position clear on March 19 in a public meeting, and guide the party cadres.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), founded in 2006 by Raj Thackeray after he fell out with Shiv Sena patriarch and his uncle Bal Thackeray, reached its zenith in 2009 assembly elections when it won 13 out of total 288 seats.

The party was also said to be responsible for defeat of Shiv Sena candidates in Mumbai and its metropolitan region, apparently due to division of Marathi votes.

However, the party lost the momentum gradually. Though it never won a Lok Sabha seat, in 2014 elections it was blown away during the Narendra Modi wave.

In the assembly elections held that year, the MNS won only one seat in Maharashtra. Recently, that lone MLA from Junnar in Pune district has joined the Shiv Sena.

In the Bruhanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections held in 2017, the tally of MNS was reduced to seven seats. In October, 2017, six of its corporators defected to Shiv Sena, thus taking its representation down to one seat.

"MNS chief Raj Thackeray will make his political line clear on Tuesday," said the MNS leader.

Ahead of Lok Sabha elections next month, the MNS was trying hard to piggyback the Congress-NCP alliance, but was cold shouldered by the Congress, which opposes the violent "Marathi manoos" politics of the Raj Thackeray-led party.

The Sharad Pawar-led NCP had also reportedly offered its support to MNS candidate in Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency, but the party decided not to contest the elections.

Election to all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra would be held in four phases between April 11 and April 29.