Mumbai, July 03: In an apparent effort to widen Shiv Sena's vote bank, the party today deliberated on ‘Shiv shakti’ joining hands with ‘bhim shakti’ of dalits to contest the forthcoming crucial assembly polls in Maharashtra. The proposal for roping in the followers of Bhimrao Ambedkar was taken up for discussion at the two-day ongoing Sena conclave at nearby Uttan after the party's executive president, Uddhav Thackeray, mooted the idea, party sources said.

Wooing the dalits, which comprise 11.5 per cent of the population, would usher in social renaissance in the state, the participants at ‘nirdhar shibir’ said.

The party leaders, while making it clear that the prominent Republican Party of India leaders might not be willing to join hands with the Sena, said the party may have to seek cooperation of the second rung of leadership among the dalits.


Expressing that unity of ‘bhim shakti’ and ‘shiv shakti’ would add a new dimension to the state's politics, the party felt that taking up the issue of atrocities on dalits on an aggressive scale would help in the endeavour.
Performance of MLAs and seats lost by marginal votes in the last polls were among those subjects which would be discussed. The timing of the last election which fell during ‘Ganesh Utsav’also took its toll with traditional Sena voters away at Konkan for the festival, the leaders said.

The Sena executive president Udhhav Thackeray and party supremo Bal Thackeray would address the conclave later today.

Bureau Report