Click to play videoMumbai: Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has done it again. Jubiliant party workers celebrated outside their head quarters as the newest entrant to Maharashtra politics drove the final nail in the Shiv Sena-BJP's coffin with an encore performance grabbing 13 seats in Maharashtra, six of them from Mumbai alone denting the Shiv Sena's kitty by half a dozen seats
MNS Spokesperson Shirish Parkar said, "We failed to hit the 20 seat mark but what we have achieved in encouraging – MNS and Raj Thackeray will play a big role in Maharashtra politics."
The victory for this 3-year-old party was celebrated in a big way at Raj Thackeray's residence in Shivaji Park with throngs of people gathering through the day as the results started pouring in.
Meanwhile, an eerie silence lingered outside Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's home at Matoshree as figures came in. Some some senior BJP leaders gracefully conceded defeat attributing it to the MNS factor.
BJP Leader Gopinath Munde said, "There are many reasons for our defeat and MNS is a huge factor."
However, senior Shiv Sena leaders appeared to be in denial.
SS Leader Manohar Joshi said, "It's wrong to say that the MNS is responsible for this. We'll have to study the whole thing. Then we'll be able to say which factors were responsible for keeping us behind Congress"
A victorious Congress meanwhile celebrated it's victory and talk veered towards speculation about who will get to be the Chief Minister.
Current Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ashok Chavan said, “ Vilasraoji is my collegue. In fact, he is like a brother to me. So I’ll be happy with whoever the party choses for the CM's post."
Raj Thakeray's MNS dealt a major blow to the Shiv Sena and Udhav Thaceray's leadership by usurping a huge chunk of it's Marathi voter base in Maharashtra.
The Saffron alliance will now have to do some serious introspection as the face a serious leadership crisis.
(With inputs from Yogita Limaye)
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)
More on IBNLive Right Now
TOP NEWS
MOST SHARED
PHOTOGALLERY
