In politics, a politician may or may not necessarily get a second chance to make a political comeback in his political career, especially if has made any fatal error of judgment or missed an opportunity. It does seem as though the lady luck appears to be smiling yet again on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray. But is, he and the MNS ready for the ‘Second Coming?’
The ‘Odd Couple’ like Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance government of Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra has presented a rare second opportunity to the MNS chief to resurrect his floundering political career and revive the MNS. As the Shiv Sena sheds its Hindutva baggage to keep the Congress and the NCP happy and its throne intact, it has left the hardcore Sena supporters clueless and rudderless.
Ever since he quit the Sena in January 2006 over the succession issue, on March 9, 2006, the day he formed the MNS till the 2009 Assembly elections, where he delivered a knockout punch to the Sena, it was one hell of a rollercoaster ride for Raj Thackeray. After the stunning performance of the 2009 polls where he won 13 seats and dented Sena’s prospects in many more seats, then came the high point in 2012 when MNS grabbed power in Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC).
However, by the time the 2014 assembly elections came, the wheels of fortune came unstuck from the MNS ‘Engine’ and the party not only lost steam but appeared de-railed. From praising then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his work and backing him for the Prime Ministership in 2014, to be his ‘un-solicited’ critic in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
This vacillating stance of his and not many pan-Maharashtra tours, party presence and agitations had even left his admirers in Sena also bit disappointed. As one senior former Sena minister had once confided that Raj has this gift of oratory just like his illustrious uncle late Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray. Only thing that was his (Raj’s) undoing was his laziness, pointed out the former Sena minister.
After 2014, elections not only did he win just one assembly seat, even his party civic corporators too did not stay with him and went in search of greener pastures elsewhere. But even then, more than the Shiv Sena, it is the politicians from the North who have been hated him more for his anti-North Indians stand, insistence on Marathi, Chhath Puja and ‘Khal-Khatyak’ (smashing window panes) style response to those who did not fall in line.
Now with Sena pulling out of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and abandoning its Hindutva ideology, the MNS has the opportunity to fill that void left behind by the Sena. After making a U-turn on supporting the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in Lok Sabha and opposing it in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) and turning a blind-eye towards Congress targeting Veer Savarkar, it has left some of the old and die-hard Sena cadres unhappy and has begun to search for a second home.
But after having attacked the BJP and Modi in the 2019 polls, it will be a tad difficult for Raj to once again change course. However, now he has the god-sent opportunity to undo the mistakes of the past, revamp the MNS – which he is doing by changing the multi-colour party flag to more Saffron, signalling to change ideological course. Opportunity has certainly knocked on the door again, the question is, is Raj Thackeray and the MNS ready for the second coming?
