Friday is going to be a nightmare for Mumbai police. This is because a mega rally is scheduled to be addressed at Shivaji Park by Prime Minister Modi and MNS chief Raj Thackeray, there will be IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants ,Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to hold a road show at Kurla in favour of the BJP's candidate in Mumbai North Central Ujwal Nikam and the Maha Vikas Aghadi will hold a rally at the BKC grounds which will be addressed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and Arvind Kejriwal. The elections are scheduled for May 20.
On Wednesday the cops provided excellent bandobast for Modi's roadshow in Ghatkopar which was attended by lakhs of people. The event went off without any glitch. Policemen drawn from several police stations were deployed for the road show. But, on Friday the police's strength will be spread really thin ensuring security at three mega events.
Raj Thackeray, who was earlier a staunch critic of Modi. will be sharing the dais with him at Shivaji Park. He had recently flown down to New Delhi where he met Union home minister Amit Shah and offered his ``unconditional" support to the BJP in the elections. Since then he has addressed at least three rallies.
Many in the BJP are uncomfortable about Modi and Thackeray sharing the state. In the past, Thackeray had not only accused north Indians of stealing jobs of Marathis in Mumbai, Nashik and other places. His supporters had even attacked north Indian candidates who had arrived at Kalyan to take part in a railway recruitment programme. The violent incidents had found echo in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. In fact, a BJP leader had even warned Thackeray from visiting the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Several BJP leaders feel that joining hands with Thackeray is a mistake since it will alienate north Indian voters who are present in sizable numbers in Mumbai north and other Lok Sabha constituencies. When asked about it, deputy CM and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said Raj had accepted the Hindutva agenda. ``In any case, regional sentiments have to be respected," he added. Raj has been roped in by the BJP primarily to prevent Marathi voters from rallying in favour of the Shiv Sena (UBT).
The party has already split the Marathi vote bank by breaking up the united Shiv Sena. Now it is trying to subdivide Marathi voters who may back Uddhav Thackeray by winning Raj over to its side.
The BJP is worried with Muslim votes tilting towards Uddhav Thackeray. Many maulanas have appealed to Muslims to vote for the Shiv Sena (UBT) since it is perceived as the only party which can defeat the BJP. The BJP is hitting back by accusing Uddhav of betraying the pro-Hindu legacy of his father, the late Bal Thackeray. It pointed out that Uddhav was now being addressed as ``Bhaijaan" by Muslims. At a recent rally of the Shiv Sena (UBT) in Govandi, Islamic flags were prominently displayed.
Yogi Adityanath is expected to mobilise Uttar Bharatiya votes in favour of the Maha Yuti led by the BJP.
