Selfish politics: BJP's Navneet Rana hits out at SS (UBT)

Mumbai, Nov 28 (IANS) Former BJP MP Navneet Rana on Thursday accused the Shiv Sena (UBT) of engaging in "selfish politics," claiming the party is now blaming Congress for its failure in the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Rana's remarks came amidst reports of strife within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, following a crushing defeat by the Mahayuti in Maharashtra.

Some Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders have also voiced opinion about going solo in upcoming civic polls to rebuild the party.

The Leader of Opposition (Legislative Council) Ambadas Danve from Shiv Sena (UBT) made his concerns public, stating, "Some leaders believe that Shiv Sena (UBT) did not receive the desired support in the MVA-INDIA bloc. They have suggested that the party should strengthen itself and prepare to contest all 288 Assembly seats independently in future elections."

The MVA alliance -- comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), and smaller allies --managed to secure only 46 seats in the Assembly elections. This marked a stark contrast to their strong performance in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year.

Rana criticised the Shiv Sena (UBT), alleging its focus was on securing the Chief Minister's post rather than working coherently with alliance partners.

"In 2019 elections, they snapped ties with BJP despite contesting polls together. This time, they are unhappy with Congress too. This shows that they are driven by selfish motives," Rana told IANS.

"They were sitting with the dream of getting the post of the Chief Minister, that's why today they do not like Congress either," she added.

"Shiv Sena (UBT) doesn't like alliances, whether good or bad. Their politics revolves around their ambitions," Rana further said.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has dismissed reports of the party leaving the MVA, calling them "baseless."

In the recent Assembly elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) emerged as the largest MVA partner, securing 20 seats. Congress followed with 16 seats, the NCP (SP) won 10, and smaller allies managed three seats.