Mumbai: In line with its strategy to grow its footprint nationally, the Shiv Sena is preparing the ground to contest the upcoming Bihar election with the same issue that it has used to target those from states such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in Maharashtra — sons of the soil, but in reverse.
The party’s Bihar unit plans to highlight how the incumbent Janata Dal (United)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition has allegedly done little to create job opportunities for Biharis in their home state because of which they are having to work as migrant labour in other states.
Shiv Sena’s Bihar unit wants to contest in about 100 of the state’s 243 assembly seats. The party’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has, however, has said a final decision on contesting this year’s Bihar assembly election will be taken after discussing it with Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, also the Shiv Sena President.
Kaushalendra Sharma, chief of Shiv Sena’s Bihar unit, told ThePrint, “Our people have to go to Mumbai, Delhi and even as far as Kanyakumari in search of work. This government has completely failed in ensuring that Biharis have quality jobs available in our state itself. The BJP only keeps talking about ‘Atmanirbhar Bihar.’ They have done nothing on the ground.”
Shiv Sena’s ‘bhoomiputra’ agenda in Bihar
The day the Election Commission announced the poll dates for Bihar, the Shiv Sena’s Bihar unit tweeted details of the election with a caption, “Bhoomiputron ke sanmaan mein, Shiv Sena maidan mein (Shiv Sena is in the area to honour the sons of the soil).”
भूमी पुत्रों के सम्मान में शिवसेना बिहार मैदान में।#BiharElections#BiharElections2020 #BiharElections2020dates@priyankac19 @ShivSena@AUThackeray @Saamanaonline #Shivsainik #BiharShivsena#Shivsena4Bihar #Shivsena pic.twitter.com/Mz3h17SRGj
— ShivSena Bihar (@ShivSena4Bihar) September 25, 2020
The Bihar elections will be held in three phases — on 28 October, 3 November and 7 November — while the results will be declared on 10 November.
Among the party’s talking points is a helpline that its Bihar unit had set up during the lockdown for all Bihari migrants stuck in other states.
“We were helping stranded migrants with ration and the means to return. We even requested Maharashtra CM Uddhavji Thackeray to arrange for special trains for those from Bihar to return. We were able to help at least 50,000 workers,” Sharma said.
The party is using the ‘sons of the soil’ issue to specifically target its ally-turned-rival in Maharashtra, the BJP. In a social media creative released Monday, the Shiv Sena has claimed that the party helped migrants in their journey home by paying for their tickets, while the BJP-led Union government did not shell out any money.
वो कहते हैं न;
जिंदगी में बुरा वक़्त भी आना जरूरी है,
तभी हमे अपने और पराए का पता चलता है।#Janta_hi_Sarkar#BiharElections#BiharElections2020 #Shivsainik #BiharShivsena#Shivsena4Bihar #Shivsena pic.twitter.com/aHAzpzlH9c
— ShivSena Bihar (@ShivSena4Bihar) September 28, 2020
Similarly, the Shiv Sena has slammed the BJP’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bihar’ campaign by chiding the party for having to use an outside face, that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to campaign in Bihar.
काहे का आत्मनिर्भर बिहार @BJP4Bihar.@BJP4India #MannKiBaat नहीं #मन_की_बकवास#Janta_hi_Sarkar#BiharElections#BiharElections2020@priyankac19 @ishuklasir@rautsanjay61 @AUThackeray@ShivSena @OfficeofUT@Saamanaonline #Shivsainik #BiharShivsena#Shivsena4Bihar #Shivsena pic.twitter.com/fEWv4xP1fh
— ShivSena Bihar (@ShivSena4Bihar) September 27, 2020
Besides its ‘sons of the soil’ agenda, the Shiv Sena also plans to target the BJP for politicising actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death for electoral gains in Bihar with Rajput originally being from the state, and dragging Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray’s name into the controversy, Sharma said.
Party’s Bihar performance lacklustre so far
Over the last five years, the Shiv Sena has been actively looking to expand outside Maharashtra, contesting assembly polls in states such as Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Bihar with more vigour, but without much success.
In 2015, the party contested 80 seats in the Bihar assembly election and polled 2.11 lakh votes. Although it did not win any seats, the Shiv Sena was thrilled with its performance as it finished third in several seats. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the party’s performance was dismal. It polled just 0.16 per cent, or 64,462 of the total valid votes polled.
Shiv Sena is currently a recognised state party in Maharashtra and is far from getting the status of a national party.
According to Election Commission norms, to be recognised as a national party, a political outfit has to either win 2 per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha from three different states, poll 6 per cent of votes in four states in a general election to the Lok Sabha or the legislative assembly and win four Lok Sabha seats in addition, or get recognition as a state party in four or more states.