Sena wants to repeat BSP story in Maharashtra

Mumbai, June 19 (UNI) Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray today said that his party will contest the next Assembly elections scheduled two years hence, on its own and will come to power too, on the lines of what Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati did in Uttar Pradesh.

Speaking at a public meeting organised on the occasion of 41st anniversary of the Shiv Sena, Mr Thackeray said, ''There should be a miracle in the next Assembly elections in Maharashra just as in Uttar Pradesh and Shiv Sena should have its one party rule in the State.'' Shiv Sena has been in alliance with BJP for the seven Lok Sabha elections since 1984 and for four Assembly elections since 1990.

The alliance managed to come to power in 1995 though there always were tensions within the alliance but the issue of Hindutva kept both the saffron parties combined for the last 23 years. However, this is the first time that Sena supremo, who is considered as the major pillar of the SS-BJP alliance, himself said that in the next Assembly elections Shiv Sena expects to come to power on its own.

However, he did not mention throughout his speech that he was going to end ties with the BJP. All that he maintained was that Shiv Sena should come to power on its own in the upcoming Assembly elections.

UNI