Reacting to the Assembly election results of five states, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday highlighted the success of regional parties.
Reacting to the Assembly election results of five states, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday highlighted the success of regional parties. He was referring to the victory of the Trinamul Congress (TMC) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu respectively. Taking a dig at his ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mr Thackeray said that the poll results have shown that locals favour regional parties.
“The election results have shown that the people have voted for regional parties as they have a strong foundation. I feel this is a good sign,” he told reporters at his residence on Thursday afternoon. His comment has come amid a tussle between his party and the BJP despite them being partners in the state government. After the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly polls, Shiv Sena’s dominance in the alliance has subsided drastically.
Mr Thackeray added, “Regional parties will have greater responsibilities in national politics tomorrow. I expect that all the regional parties will take up responsibilities.”
He was hinting that the BJP, despite being a national party, would need help from regional parties in the future. The Sena chief also taunted its ally over its win in Assam, saying sarcastically that the new government would stop infiltration into the state.
The BJP played down these comments. BJP spokesperson Nirnajan Shetty said that the media had presented the Sena leader’s comments in a particular light. “Results are for everyone to see. We never expected to win in Assam. The media presented the claims made by Uddhavji, as if his party was criticising BJP at the national level. If Shiv Sena thinks it is a regional party we are happy. Does Sena want to limit itself to the region It is for Uddhavji to decide,” he said. The BJP spokesperson also stated, “We have never considered Sena as a regional party but treated it as our partner. Also, it is premature to predict what impact the results will have on the civic elections.”
