Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena will win 100 seats in mid-term polls: Sanjay Raut

Sanjay Raut has expressed confidence that the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, who are currently with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, will return to the original party very soon.

MUMBAI: Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has claimed that former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of Shiv Sena will win more than 100 seats if mid-term polls take place in Maharashtra. “We are confident of winning 100 seats as Shivsena... Uddhav Thackeray had said let's have mid-term polls and everything will be clear.. who will win and who will lose,” Raut told news agency ANI.

Mumbai | We are confident of winning 100 seats as Shivsena... Uddhav Thackeray had said let's have mid-term polls and everything will be clear.. who will win & who will lose: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut pic.twitter.com/Iz044vpRs7

— ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2022

Speaking to news agency ANI, Raut said that no one can hijack Shiv Sena as it is Bala Saheb Thackeray’s party.

'Shiv Sena is Baba Thackeray's. Cannot be anyone else's. You cannot hijack it through money. CM Mamata Banerjee has said, not just money but something else was also given. It will be a big expose when this 'something' is revealed," Raut said.

Mumbai | Shiv Sena is Baba Thackeray's. Cannot be anyone else's. You cannot hijack it through money. CM Mamata Banerjee has said, not just money but something else was also given. It will be a big expose when this 'something' is revealed: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut pic.twitter.com/sHbqLgkAs4

— ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2022

He also expressed confidence that the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, who are currently with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, will return to the original party very soon.

“We are still hopeful that these MLAs will return back... We were always in talks with rebels... They are our people, will come back. 'Subha ka bhoola agar shaam ko ghar aa jaye to usse bhoola nahi kehte,'” Sanjay Raut said.

Mumbai | We are still hopeful that these MLAs will return back... We were always in talks with rebels... They are our people, will come back. 'Subha ka bhoola agar shaam ko ghar aa jaye to usse bhoola nahi kehte': Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut pic.twitter.com/8GnOsXB7CH

— ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2022

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut had on Monday questioned the legitimacy of the faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and said the group cannot claim to be the original Sena.

Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Raut said these MLAs (of the Shinde group) should ask themselves some questions. They used the party symbol and all benefits that come along with it to win election, and then broke the same party. 

"We will definitely contest it in court. The Shinde faction left the Shiv Sena, then how can they claim that their group is the original party, and not the one led by Uddhav Thackeray. The Thackeray name is synonymous with the Shiv Sena,” the Rajya Sabha member said.

Raut went on to say that Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu had suspended JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav for defying the party's order not to participate in an event. "The event was not even in Parliament, but still he faced the action,” the Shiv Sena's chief spokesperson claimed.

“However, such a rule is not applicable to us when we expect similar action to be taken against 16 MLAs out of 39 (of the Shinde faction). Is it appropriate,” he asked.

When a ruling is given as per the convenience of a person or a party, it is not a parliamentary democracy, he said.

It may be recalled that the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government in Maharashtra collapsed following a rebellion by the Eknath Shinde-led group. Shinde was later sworn in as the chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy.

Shinde also won the trust vote in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly by a voice vote.