After AAP loss in Delhi,Sena (UBT) urges INDIA to unite

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has close ties with the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, with Thackeray and Kejriwal sharing the dais on many occasions

Mumbai: Following the defeat of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Delhi assembly polls, the Shiv Sena (UBT) on Sunday expressed concern over members of Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) fighting elections against each other, saying it was only making the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stronger.

After AAP loss in Delhi,Sena (UBT) urges INDIA to unite

“The message of Delhi election is loud and clear – that we need to unite against the BJP,” said Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut. Had the Congress and the AAP – both are part of the INDIA coalition but chose to contest the polls separately – fought together, they could have defeated the BJP, he noted.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has close ties with the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, with Thackeray and Kejriwal sharing the dais on many occasions. During his Mumbai tour, Kejriwal made it a point to visit Thackeray, who returned the gesture during his visit to Delhi. Kejriwal also addressed a rally in Mumbai during the Lok Sabha polls in May last year, saying he would stand with the Sena (UBT) chief in future elections.

Prior to the assembly elections in Delhi, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders openly slammed the Congress for targeting the AAP instead of the BJP in their poll campaign. The party’s mouthpiece, Saamna, also criticised the Congress for it’s anti-AAP politics.

On Sunday, Raut accused the BJP of using tactics like manipulation voters’ lists to win the Delhi poll, like it had allegedly done in the Maharashtra and Haryana polls.

“If the Congress is happy with the defeat of Kejriwal, it’s sad as prime minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah have won. Both of them have destroyed democracy,” said Raut.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) MP urged INDIA partners to put the past behind them and unite for upcoming battles, saying not doing so would indicate that they gave their approval to whatever is happening in the country.

“We need to think how democracy and the voice of the opposition can be sustained in such a situation. We need to protect democracy,” said Raut.