By Susheel Parekh

Mumbai, Oct.24 (ANI): As Shiv Sena held people of Mumbai responsible for the political debacle it faced in the recently held Maharashtra State Assembly elections, the local public has in fact returned the blame on the party for having failed to keep its house in order.

In an editorial of the Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece ‘Samna’, Thackeray blamed Mumbaikars for the defeat of saffron alliance of the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata party in the just concluded State Assembly elections.

The editor and Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray questioned the achievements of the Congress-Nationalist Congress party alliance. He blamed the people of Maharashtra for “pushing the State back into hell” by re-electing the alliance.

Mumbaikars or the people of Mumbai have attributed the reasons of debacle to the internal feud and rivalry between Shiv Sena and its break away group Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), a party launched by Bal Thackeray’s firebrand nephew Raj Thackeray.

“Today’s editorial on ‘Samna’… About 60 per cent Marathis (residents of Mumbai) in Mumbai voted for MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena). Rest voted for Shiv Sena. Because of this, most of the MNS candidates came from Mumbai. Today Samna has commented on Marathi people. I would say Marathi Manoos (people) are divided because of two warring brothers,” said Kishor Patil, a resident of Mumbai.

Dinesh Moiley, another resident of Mumbai, said Congress-NCP alliance benefited from the Shiv Sena and MNS rivalry.

“It should not have happened in this election. It was wrong. This personal rivalry benefited the third party, which should not have happened. Marathi people haven’t lost their unity. But we had lot of hopes from Shiv Sena which is there for 45 years,” said Dinesh Moiley, a resident of Mumbai.

There are some who are confident that the Shiv Sena will spring back to life like the phoenix bird.

“Nobody can wipe out Shiv Sena. Shiv Sena is like a phoenix bird. We request Raj Thackeray that wherever your party is strong you field your candidate but do not do so just because you want to take on Shiv Sena. You (MNS) should also rise, but Shiv Sena will be there even though it has suffered a set back this time. But it will rise again like the phoenix bird,” Manoj Ranade, a resident of Mumbai.

Thackeray also accused the Congress of using the ‘divide and rule’ policy to split Marathi voters to come to power.

The Shiv Sena fought the Assembly elections in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). But it miserably failed to come into power, as it could secure only 90 seats in the 288-member State Assembly. The Shiv Sena won 44 seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 46 seats.

Whereas, the Shiv Sena’s breakaway group Raj Thackeray-led MNS received 13. The winner was the Congress-NCP combine which secured a total of 144 seats. (ANI)