MNS at risk of losing recognition after drawing blank in Maharashtra polls

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is at risk of losing its status as a recognised political party and its railway engine poll symbol after its dismal performance in the recently concluded state assembly election, where it failed to win even one seat.

In the elections swept by the Mahayuti, none of the 125 candidates fielded by the Raj Thackeray-led party, including his son Amit Thackeray, could strike gold.

In an informal interaction with the media, former Maharashtra legislature secretary Anant Kalse explained the Election Commission of  India's criteria for a political party to retain its recognition and reserved election symbol.

"To maintain recognition, a party must either win at least one seat and secure 8 per cent of the total vote share, or win two seats with 6 per cent votes, or win three seats with 3 per cent votes. The election commission can revoke the party's recognition if none of these conditions are met," Kalse said.

The MNS managed to secure only 1.8 per cent of votes and failed to win any seats, falling far short of the required benchmarks.

He said, "The Election Commission is an independent body and may take a decision on the matter. It could send a notice to the MNS and cancel its recognition."  Kalse said if the party's recognition is revoked, it will not be entitled to its reserved election symbol of the railway engine, and it will instead have to choose an unreserved symbol available for the next election.

The party's name, however, would remain unaffected.

This was the first time since it entered electoral politics in 2009 that the MNS failed to win even one seat in the assembly. It had won 13 seats in the debut poll contest in 2009. In the 2014 and 2019 assembly polls, the party had one MLA each.

Following the party's poor performance, Raj Thackeray issued a brief statement on social media, describing the results as "unbelievable."  This setback raises questions about the future of the MNS, as the loss of recognition and its iconic symbol could impact its visibility and appeal among voters.