Mumbai: The Raj Thackeray-led the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is campaigning for the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidates, but will the party campaign for former Mumbai Congress chief and Mumbai North West constituency candidate Sanjay Nirupam? Mr Thackeray is expected to give the answer on April 6.
MNS state leader and spokesperson Anil Shidore told The Asian Age on Sunday that the decision on whether to campaign in Mumbai North West for Mr Nirupam along with the other seats such as Pune would be taken by the party on April 6.
However, he also said that party leaders and workers share a cordial relationship with Mumbai North Congress candidate Urmila Matondkar.
Mr Nirupam is facing sitting Shiv Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar. Despite insistence from the NCP leader Ajit Pawar, the former Mumbai Congress chief had opposed the entry of MNS into the grand alliance of Opposition parties for the LS polls.
Attempts to contact Mr Nirupam for his reaction were unsuccessful at the time of going to press.
MNS spokesperson Avinash Abhyankar said, “There was party meeting in Mumbai North. It has been unanimously decided not to support the BJP and other alliance candidates. Whosoever is standing against the BJP, we will have to support them fully.”
The MNS was seen campaigning for Congress candidate Eknath Gaikwad, who is contesting from the Mumbai South Central seat. MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande joined the campaign at Shivaji Park and urged the people to cast their votes in favour of Mr Gaikwad.
The MNS chief had already held a meeting with core party leaders on how to defeat BJP and Shiv Sena candidates in the Lok Sabha election
