Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday said that his party will not be part of any alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Assembly elections. Citing ideological differences, he ruled out the possibility of any alliance with the Samajwadi Party.
Raut said the party has been working for a long time in UP but didn’t contest the elections because it didn’t want to hurt the BJP. He also said that his party will contest 50-100 seats in UP on Hindutva and farmers’ issues, adding that he will visit the western parts of the state on Friday. Seeking to make this electoral foray in an alien state, on Thursday Raut farmers’ leader Rakesh Tikait to see how to dent the prospects of its estranged ally BJP.
Taking to Twitter, Raut said the Shiv Sena had played an important role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and made several sacrifices. He recalled that the party leaders under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray had visited Ayodhya thrice when the movement appeared to have lost steam. He added that the party was also aware of the sentiments of the people with regards to Mathura, the birth place of Lord Krishna.
Meanwhile, Raut has predicted that the Congress party cannot win Goa assembly polls on its own and can also not cross the single digit mark if it contests alone. He said, “The Congress has only three MLAs in Goa. The party’s MLAs have deserted it en masse. Key political parties, we (the Shiv Sena and NCP) had offered to support the Congress in its difficult times. But I don’t know what the Congress is thinking. It cannot cross the single digit mark if it contests alone.
