Mumbai, Aug 20 (PTI) In a jolt to the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS, their panel has lost all 21 seats in the election to the BEST Employees Cooperative Credit Society Ltd, a platform where the two parties came together amid a buzz about a pan-Maharashtra alliance.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis accused the Sena (UBT)-MNS of politicising the credit society polls around the “Thackeray brand”. The defeat prompted the BJP to mock the “Thackeray brand”, saying it has turned to ‘zero’.
Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut downplayed the defeat, saying he had no information about the results. “The Thackeray brand can never fail. The credit society election is neither a final exam nor a unit test (for the upcoming local body polls),” Raut said.
Suhas Samant, president of the BEST Kamgar Sena, aligned with the Sena (UBT), told PTI on Wednesday that the “defeat of all its 21 candidates was shocking”.
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Sena (UBT), headed by cousins Raj and Uddhav Thackeray, respectively, came together on one platform to contest the election, seen as a precursor to a possible alliance between the two parties.
Voting was held on Monday for the election to the cooperative credit society linked to the employees of the civic undertaking Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), which runs the city’s ubiquitous red buses.
Counting began on Tuesday and continued till late at night.
A usually low-key and obscure election, the Sena (UBT) envisaged it to make the election a platform to showcase the unity of the two Thackeray cousins, a Sena (UBT) leader said.
Leaders from the Sena (UBT) and MNS had said the latter did not have enough strength in the BEST undertaking, but this poll gave the two parties a platform to test their joint clout ahead of the much wider elections to urban and rural local bodies, including the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The BEST is the transport wing of the BMC, which was controlled by the Bal Thackeray-founded Shiv Sena for over two decades before it went under administrator control a few years ago.
The two parties had formed a panel named ‘Utkarsh’ and fielded 21 candidates for the polls. The Sena (UBT) nominated 18 candidates, the MNS two, while one was from the Association of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes aligned with them.
The rival panel of Shashank Rao bagged the maximum 14 seats. There were five panels in the fray, including the ‘Sahakar Samruddhi’ owing allegiance to BJP MLC Prasad Lad. There was also a union supporting the Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
“Money prevailed in this election,” Samant claimed.
MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande had alleged on Monday that money was being used to lure voters in the BEST credit society polls.
After the result, Deshpande on Wednesday said it should not be seen as a litmus test for the local body polls. The “war” has not ended yet, he said.
Rao, son of the late veteran trade union leader Sharad Rao, called the results a victory for BEST employees, who he said have rejected the Sena (UBT)-led group because of their “anti-worker” policies.
He said CM Fadnavis and Mumbai BJP head Ashish Shelar have always supported the BEST workers.
Shelar, who is also a state minister, described the win as a “good omen” for his party in Mumbai.
“For the BJP, this is a positive sign from Mumbaikars. Workers and employees have backed us, while those fighting for ‘pat’ (credibility) and ‘pedhi’ (money) have been handed a big pumpkin. Once again, it is clear that workers and labourers are with us,” Shelar said on social media.
This is indeed a huge positive sign, he added.
“Despite the election being conducted through ballot papers, we have won. So-called political analysts, experts alleging ‘vote theft’, and self-styled fearless speakers have been exposed. Mumbaikars are with us, and Mumbai is ours,” Shelar asserted.
Echoing his views, BJP state chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said the outcome underscored the waning influence of the Thackeray cousins.
The poll came amid speculation of a possible alliance between the Sena (UBT) and the MNS for the forthcoming local body polls in the state.
Lad in a post on X said, “The Thackeray brand turned out to be ‘zero’ in the BEST employees’ cooperative credit society election. The boss of the brand could not even win a single seat. We have shown them their position.” Shinde, who had led a rebellion to split the original Shiv Sena in 2022, also seized on the opportunity to target the.
“Some had predicted we would not win even one seat (in assembly polls), yet we won 60 of the 80 we contested. When they win elections, EVMs are good, but when they lose, EVMs are bad. Even the BEST union election held on ballot papers proved their claims hollow,” he said at an event in Thane.
“People have done the work of busting the brand. They have backed us, which is why we won the Vidhan Sabha polls. Mahayuti will win a thumping majority in local body polls,” he added.
The BEST Employees Cooperative Credit Society Ltd has the civic undertaking’s existing and former employees as members, who form the electoral college.
The credit society has more than 15,000 members and, for years, was dominated by the BEST Kamgar Sena, which is aligned with the Sena (UBT). PTI PR ND COR KK GK NR
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