Cracks within MVA: After Maha poll setback, Uddhav under pressure from Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders to go solo

After its humiliating defeat in the Maharashtra assembly elections, not all is well in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray is facing pressure from his leaders to quit the alliance and go solo in the upcoming elections, especially the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls.  

The Shiv Sena (UBT) cadre, completely overshadowed by Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, is now questioning the "effectiveness" of the Aghadi.

Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Ambadas Danve said that many of the party's MLAs feel that it's time for the Shiv Sena (UBT) to forge an independent path and not depend on any alliance to contest polls, while adding the Shiv Sena was never meant to chase power. 

"It (power) will come naturally when we remain steadfast in our ideology," Danve told The Indian Express.

Sena (UBT) leaders are of the opinion that going independent would help the party build on its foundation, reconnect with its base and prevent it from further shifting to the Shinde Sena. 

They also believe that given the BJP's success in polls, the Shiv Sena (UBT) is getting concerned about the dilution of its Hindutva ideology to accommodate the Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP. The Congress and the NCP have a more secular and socialist orientation, one of the leaders said. 

"Securing Muslim votes is beneficial, but if those votes drive away other supporters, their value becomes questionable," a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader from Nashik Central told the publication.

One of the Shiv Sena (UBT) candidates who lost in the polls even went onto claim that many party workers are questioning their allegiance to the Thackerays after the Maharashtra election results.

Meanwhile, Thackeray and other party leaders including Aaditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut want to continue to be a part of the alliance and present a united opposition against the BJP. 

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won only 46 out of the 288 assembly seats in the state. In the MVA, the Shiv Sena (UBT) was the star performer with 20 seats, followed by Congress at 16 and NCP(SP) at 10 seats, respectively. The ruling Mahayuti alliance comprising BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP won 230 seats in the election.