MNS’s Vote Split Harmed Shiv Sena More Than Expected | Mumbai News

MNS candidates came third but hurt us the most: Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena

MUMBAI: The MNS did not win a single seat in the assembly polls but it did manage to split the pro-Hindutva Marathi vote and is seen to have hurt the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena the most, garnering 14% of the vote share within Mumbai.
According to Sena functionaries, the MNS dented the party’s prospects in 10 seats where its candidates lost and the winning margin of the rival candidate from the Sena (UBT) was less than the votes polled by MNS.Of the 20 seats that Sena (UBT) won, the margin in 10 is less then what the MNS candidate polled including the prestige seats of Worli, Bandra East and Mahim, the Sena functionary pointed out.
“The 10 seats are Wani, Vikhroli, Jogeshwari East, Dindoshi, Versova, Kalina, Bandra East, Mahim, Worli and Guhagar,” said a Sena functionary.
Speaking to TOI, Milind Deora, the Shiv Sena candidate in Worli, said, “We tried our best to negotiate with MNS. We were willing to concede to many of their demands, but beyond a point, unreasonable demands don’t work. But they certainly ended up helping UBT, in a way being their B-Team, even if we know that was not the intention. In Mahim or Worli, if MNS was not there, there was no question that we would have won the seat by large margins.”

MNS candidates came 3rd but hurt us the most: Sena

However, he added that another reason for the defeat was the fact that the party hit the ground late in his home turf. “I’m also confident that, even with MNS in the race, we could have secured a win if we started the campaign a little earlier. Moving forward, I will continue to work as an MP solving problems of the people. I am confident that in subsequent elections, be it BMC or Lok Sabha, we will be able to expand the party’s presence in the area,” he added.
In Dindoshi similarly, Sena’s Sanjay Nirupam narrowly lost by 6,182 votes to UBT candidate Sunil Prabhu, while the MNS candidate garnered 20,309 votes—a result further fuelling the “B-team” narrative. Reflecting on the outcome, Nirupam said, “In 2009, many believed MNS was eating votes from Shiv Sena, benefiting Congress. Now, in at least six Mumbai seats, MNS has helped UBT by drawing away our Marathi votes. We anticipated this during the campaign, but there was little we could do to rectify it.”
Manisha Waikar also fell short against UBT’s Anant Nar by a mere 1,541 votes in Jogeshwari East, while MNS candidate Bhalchandra Ambure secured 12,805. “We believe the ‘M factor’—Muslim voters and the MNS candidate—enabled UBT to win here. Had it not been for MNS, this seat would have been mine. But I accept the loss as a matter of destiny,” Waikar said.
Political observers said the MNS candidates did damage the Shinde-led Sena the most as the Hindutva Marathi vote was split. Responding to the allegation, MNS’s Sandeep Deshpande said, “In elections, someone wins and someone loses. That doesn’t make anyone a B-Team. We requested Shrikant Shinde not to pitch Deora in Worli, but they did anyway. We have every right to contest and shouldn’t be labelled a B-Team just because someone loses.”
Despite splitting votes, the MNS could not win a single seat. Even party chief Raj Thackeray’s son, Amit, suffered a defeat in Mahim.


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