BJP will have one engine ahead of 2024 elections: Devendra Fadnavis on speculation of pre-election coalition with MNS

Speculations were being made after the meet of Maharashtra unit president Chandrakant Patil with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chairperson Raj Thackeray of the BJP-MNS alliance. The speculations intensified on Saturday when senior leaders Devendra Fadnavis and Maharashtra Unit President Chandrakant Patil evaded a direct reply.

 

Ambiguously the former chief minister and opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis stated that the saffron party will only have one engine to fight the 2024 general elections. The election symbol of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is a railway engine. “It has already been clarified by Chandrakant Patil about his position and the party's stand regarding a possible pre-election alliance with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Though the BJP will go ahead in the 2024 general elections with only one engine,” stated Former Chief Minister and opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis. 

 

However, the former Chief Minister did not give detailed information about the party’s willingness to join hands with the MNS or is looking forward to going solo in the general elections. As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections are due next year speculations of BJP-MNS tie-up were being made responding to it Chandrakant Patil stated that the alliance was not on the cards at this particular moment. 

 

"In communication with Raj Thackeray he told me that he does not have any bitterness with the non-Marathi residing in the city of Mumbai though we still have political differences and there is no possibility of joining hands with the MNS ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections (BMC) 2022,” stated Chandrakant Patil. It has been over three decades that the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena is in power in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). In the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections 2017 the BJP separately won 82 of the total 227 seats. The MNS had won seven seats but six of its corporator later joined the Shiv Sena. The Sena won 97 seats and Congress 31.