Maharashtra Navnirman Sena bites dust in bastion

NASHIK: The ruling Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has suffered a humiliating defeat in Nashik civic polls, raising questions about its future in one of the strongest bastions in Maharashtra.
The Nashik Municipal Corporation was the only urban body in the state where the party defeated dominant political forces like Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and BJP to emerge as the single largest party winning 40 of the 122 seats in the 2012 civic polls.
This time around, they have won just five, the party’s worst performance since its formation in 2006. In the 2007 elections, the MNS had won 12 seats.
The MNS got its first mayor in the state with the support of the BJP after it won the 2012 polls. Two-and years later when the BJP withdrew its support, the MNS managed to retain the mayor’s post by riding piggyback on the NCP.
Five years down the line, the party was in complete disarray with 31 of its 2012 corporators deserting the party in phases in the last couple of years. Most of those who quit headed to the Sena or the BJP, the potential winners.
Such was the plight of the party that the MNS could not field candidates in all the 122 seats this civic election as it was hard pressed for candidates. It contested only 97 seats.
Although the party leaders claimed that it had done plenty of work like building good roads, improving the water supply system, setting up of musical park, the detractors of the party are of the view that the party leadership woke up very late to deliver the goods promised by it in the 2012 civic polls.
The writing of the wall for MNS was clear after the 2014 assembly polls, when the party lost three of the four seats it had in Nashik city to BJP.
The Raj wave in Nashik had been replaced by the Narendra Modi wave by then , which enabled the BJP to come to the centrestage of city’s politics. Even at that juncture had the MNS leadership chalked out plans to rejuvenate the rank and file of the party, things could have taken a different turn.
With the MNS winning just three seats, the party leaders have a tough task ahead of rebuilding the organizational set-up in Nashik again. The top brass of the party have to devote time and energy to strengthen the party at the grass-roots level. The city leadership too needs to lead from the front and play the role of the opposition raking up problems that the residents face.
Speaking to TOI, senior MNS leader Avinash Abhyankar said, “This is the verdict given by the people and we sportingly accept our defeat in the civic polls. We will definitely think over it. People have unfavoured us. We will rectify our mistakes and will again come in front of people again to do good work.”