No point in MVA parties allying if we’re to repeat state poll mess-up: Uddhav | Mumbai News

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said mistakes were made by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) while allocating seats for the assembly elections. He said that instead of calling this lack of coordination, they had to accept that the success achieved during Lok Sabha elections “went to the heads of some people.” He appeared worried about MVA’s future, saying if they want to repeat the same mistake, there was no point in coming together.Congress politician Vijay Wadettiwar agreed with Uddhav and said arrogance and internal disarray within the opposition cost its dear. Thackeray said that the struggle over seat-sharing had continued in the MVA ahead of the state polls until the last day, and its effect was that a bad message was sent to people.“We were united during the Lok Sabha elections, but in the assembly elections, our selfishness came to the fore and we were defeated,” Thackeray said in an interview with Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut in the party mouthpiece Saamna. Thackeray also criticised the Election Commission (EC), calling it a “dhondya” stone that is revered by people.Thackeray said he didn’t blame anyone for the assembly election defeat. “Basically, Shiv Sena, Congress, and NCP were staunch opponents of each other until the MVA was formed. The important thing is that during the election period, there was a fight over slogans. You give Rs 2,100, we give Rs 2,500, we give Rs 3,000. If you do this, we will do this. In that, we could not tell the people about the good works we did when we were in govt,” Thackeray said.Uddhav stated the Thackeray brand was about struggle for the people, starting from his grandfather Prabodhankar Thackeray, father Balasaheb Thackeray, himself, and son Aaditya Thackeray. Now, Raj Thackeray has come together, he said, indicating the alliance with Raj was on the cards.Uddhav said people had wondered ahead of the assembly polls that if there is so much struggle going on between them (MVA partners) now, what would happen later. He added that during the Lok Sabha polls, MVA allies left seats for each other with the common objective of winning elections, but this didn’t happen in the assembly polls.Thackeray demanded that polls be held on ballot paper. “Why were EVMs introduced? To save time for counting votes. If voting was held in Maharashtra on May 1 and in Bihar on May 30, then the time in between has passed, right? If it takes four days more for counting of votes, what will happen? In America and Europe, voting is done on ballot papers. Are those countries more backward than us? PM Modi himself has also spoken against EVMs. BJP members should listen to it once,” Thackeray said.Thackeray also opposed the Maharashtra Special Public Security Act, saying there was no clarity in the bill. “Will this bill stop atrocities on women or stop the looting of people? It starts with what is the hardline left wing. What is leftist ideology? There is no problem in ending Naxalism and terrorism, but there is no clarity in this public security bill,” he said.“Remember one thing, no matter how much theft is done, the EC can give the Shiv Sena’s election symbol to someone else or freeze it. EC does not have that right. Because the name Shiv Sena was given by my grandfather and my father. If tomorrow I change the name of the EC, do I have the right? But after changing my name, I will call him Dhondya. That Dhondya does not have the right to change the name of the party. If we have behaved in a democratic way, you can remove the symbol, but according to the Constitution, if we have not done anything wrong, they cannot remove our symbol. But those who are throwing vermilion on that Dhondya are sitting in Delhi, it is working,” Thackeray said.