Maharashtra Lok Sabha Polls: Speculations rife as MNS Chief Raj Thackeray meets Amit Shah in Delhi

The MNS Chief's meeting with the Home Minister has further fueled speculations about his party's intentions to join the NDA.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, on March 19, met Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, reported ANI, further fueling speculations about his intentions to join the alliance. He is likely to join the Eknath Shinde-led BJP-Shiv Sena alliance ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Thackeray arrived in the national capital on March 18 night, coinciding with the presence of Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule. It is anticipated that he will assert a claim for two parliamentary seats – South Mumbai and Shirdi – on behalf of his party, MNS.

Upon his arrival in Delhi, Thackeray was quoted by the news agency ANI stating, "I don't know what my schedule is yet. I was just told to come to Delhi."

Raj Thackeray and former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, who currently leads the opposition in Maharashtra, share a familial relationship. Raj Thackeray is the nephew of Uddhav's father, Bal Thackeray, the late founder of Shiv Sena.

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Uddhav Thackeray heads the other faction of Shiv Sena. However, this January, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar adjudged the faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as the "real Shiv Sena."

The Shiv Sena underwent a split into two factions following a rebellion led by Eknath Shinde in 2022, subsequently leading to his appointment as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

Presently, the ruling coalition in Maharashtra comprises the BJP, NCP, and the faction led by Shinde within the Shiv Sena.

The Election Commission announced on March 16 that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be conducted across seven phases spanning from April 19 to June 1, with the results scheduled to be declared on June 4.

Maharashtra will vote in five phases in the upcoming general election. Voting will be held from April 19 to May 20.