Raj Thackeray’s MNS threatens defeat and division in Marathi votes in Maharashtra elections | India News – Times of India

Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) suffered a double blow in the Assembly elections, losing its only MLA and witnessing party chief Raj Thackeray’s son Amit suffer a defeat in Mahim. Despite its dismal performance, MNS played a spoiler in several key constituencies, splitting Marathi votes and affecting Shiv Sena’s (UBT) prospects against the BJP.
Despite polling less than 2% of the total state votes, MNS showed some strength in Mumbai where it secured around 14% of the vote share. The strongest showing was in Shivadi, where Bala Nandgaonkar finished second, losing to Shiv Sena’s (UBT) Ajay Choudhary by 7,140 votes. Elsewhere, Amit Thackeray came third in Mahim, and MNS candidates Sandeep Deshpande (Worli) and Nayan Kadam (Magathane) failed to make an impression.
In constituencies, MNS played a spoiler. In Ghatkopar West, Ganesh Chukkal’s 25,862 votes (15.46%) dented the chances of Sena (UBT) candidate Sanjay Bhalerao, paving the way for sitting MLA Ram Kadam of BJP to win by 12,971 votes. In Anushakti Nagar, Navin Acharya of MNS polled 28,362 votes (19.42%), which could potentially sway Marathi voters and enable NCP candidate Sana Malik to narrowly defeat NCP (SP) candidate Fahad Ahmad by 3,378 votes .
Ironically. in Worli, where three Senas (Shiv Sena, Shiv Sena-UBT and MNS) contested, MNS helped Aaditya Thackeray’s narrow victory by splitting the opposition’s votes.
The MNS, founded in 2006, is now at risk as the party struggles to meet the Election Commission’s recognition criteria: 6% of valid votes and two elected MLAs or 3% of seats. With no MLAs and declining relevance, Raj Thackeray faces an uphill battle to keep his party on track while reckoning with his role as a spoiler in Maharashtra’s political arena.