The recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly Elections ended up being a downer for both Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray-led MNS. While Shiv Sena (UBT) got 20 seats in the Maharashtra elections, the MNS ended up being a total dud, not winning a single seat from the 128 seats they contested.
The existential crisis faced by both parties - one failing to get enough votes to qualify as a political party and the other losing its tag of 'real Sena' - had raised questions as to whether or not they will join hands. Especially since the ideologies of both parties are rooted in Marathi identity.
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When asked about a potential merger between the cousins which will help stop the division of Marathi votes, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut had a rather tactical answer. "This is not a question limited to Raj Thackeray or Uddhav Thackeray. Everyone who loves Maharashtra must come together. Even if it is Prakash Ambedkar," said Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP.
Stressing that all of them had to contribute to the development of Maharashtra, Raut said "all these political parties should remain one for the Marathi people."
"Ambedkar had warned that if the Marathi people do not stay together, Maharashtra and Mumbai will become of the Hamals and Patiwalas and that is exactly what is happening today," he said, adding that the current state of Maharashtra is such that all those who are worried need to come together.
MNS candidates have played a major role in determining the success of many candidates of Shiv Sena (UBT), especially in Mumbai. The Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Sena won 8 of the 10 seats in Mumbai. Of the total 20 seats across the state, 10 won by Sena (UBT) were decided by margins smaller than the votes secured by MNS candidates.