Unsure of poll victory, BJP trying to 'steal' a Thackeray: Uddhav on Raj Thackeray-Shah meeting
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Mar 19: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday accused the BJP of trying to "steal" a "Thackeray" to win elections, a remark coming in the wake of a meeting between MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Addressing a gathering in Nanded district, Uddhav Thackeray also said he was not bothered if the BJP took away his estranged cousin.
Uddhav Thackeray's swipe at BJP comes after Raj Thackeray met Shah in Delhi amid a buzz that the BJP is looking to ally with him for the Lok Sabha polls to boost its alliance in Maharashtra.
"BJP knows very well that they don't get votes in the name of PM Narendra Modi in Maharashtra. People vote here in the name of (Bal) Thackeray. This realisation prompted the BJP to try to steal leaders from outside (BJP fold)," he said.
Alleging that BJP seed is "bogus", he accused the party of trying to appropriate the legacy of Bal Thackeray.
"First, they stole the photo of Bal Thackeray, but it doesn't matter. Today, they are trying to steal another Thackeray....take it, I and my people are enough," he said while concluding his two-day tour of Nanded and Hingoli districts in the Marathwada region.
Uddhav Thackeray, whose party is a constituent of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi and INDIA bloc, claimed even Christians and Muslims have no issue with his style of Hindutva.
"The image of Shiv Sena (undivided) was getting sullied when we were with the BJP. But since we severed ties with them, even members of Christian and Muslim communities are saying that they have no issues with our Hindutva ideology," he added.
Raj Thackeray had parted ways with the Shiv Sena, when it was undivided, due to his differences with Uddhav and founded MNS in 2006. However, his MNS could not make much impact even though he is seen as a powerful orator and enjoys a certain following.
His controversial comments against north Indians in the past had drawn sharp criticism from leaders of various political parties, including the BJP.
आज केंद्रीय गृहमंत्री श्री. अमित शाह ह्यांच्याशी दिल्लीत भेट झाली. pic.twitter.com/8XMIEXydYq
— Raj Thackeray (@RajThackeray) March 19, 2024
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Kolkata Port: Decline in number of voters during SIR brings in uncertainty in TMC bastion
Kolkata (PTI): A sharp decline in the number of voters following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has injected an element of uncertainty into the Kolkata Port Assembly constituency, considered a safe seat for the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).
The electorate in the south Kolkata constituency has dropped from 2.36 lakh in the 2021 Assembly polls to around 1.75 lakh, a fall of nearly 26 per cent, prompting political parties to closely assess its potential impact on the April 29 polling.
The TMC re-nominated senior minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, who has held the seat for two consecutive terms, while the BJP fielded Rakesh Singh. The Congress nominated Aquib Gulzar, and the CPI(M) put up Faiyaz Ahmad Khan, making it a four-cornered contest.
Kolkata Port, part of the Kolkata Dakshin parliamentary constituency, comprises dock areas, old business districts and densely populated neighbourhoods. Muslim voters form a significant segment of the electorate, alongside traders, transport workers and working-class Hindu families.
The reduction in voter numbers has prompted party workers across formations to scrutinise the revised rolls booth-wise to identify deletions and assess whether specific localities have been affected.
Singh’s candidature has added a twist to the contest. He had earlier contested against Hakim as a Congress candidate but is now in the fray on a BJP ticket.
Hakim won the seat in 2016 by 26,548 votes, defeating Singh, and increased his margin significantly to 68,554 votes in 2021, polling over one lakh votes.
While the TMC has expressed confidence in retaining the seat, opposition parties have raised concerns over the voter list revision, alleging that names of genuine voters have been removed.
“People here know who has stood by them. Elections are decided by trust,” Hakim told PTI during a campaign event.
Singh claimed several residents had complained about missing names in the rolls, stressing the need for transparency. The CPI(M) nominee also said voters in several areas had raised similar concerns.
The constituency has remained a difficult terrain for the opposition in recent elections.
Civic issues such as sanitation, traffic congestion and declining business activity in traditional markets also feature in the campaign in the constituency, though the revised voter list has emerged as a key talking point.
Polling in the constituency will be held in the second phase on April 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.
