Fate of Janaki Ramachandran & Laxmi Parvati awaits Uddhav

MUMBAI: Maharashtra assembly election 2009 outcome can be summed up in one line. Thackerays caught and bowled Raj Thackeray. A family feud that dominated the state���s political space for last three years ended bleeding the Sena yet again.

The Sena lost all seats, thanks to MNS, in Mumbai-Thane belt in the last Lok Sabha election. Its second successive rout in four months will project Raj as more natural successor to his once charismatic uncle Bal Thackeray
The three-year old Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, led by Raj Thackeray, has managed to win just 13 seats in its maiden assembly election.

However, it had spoiled the Shiv Sena-BJP���s chances in well over 33 seats. In other words, the saffron siblings lost some 50 seats because of MNS.

The fact that the Sena has been pushed down to Number 4 position in its hometurf of Mumbai could explain the gravity of the damage MNS has inflicted on the party founded by his uncle Bal Thackeray. ���If there is a single factor responsible for our defeat, then that���s the MNS,��� said BJP���s Gopinath Munde.

The dejected BJP MP faced humiliation on the personal front as well. His niece, and late Pramod Mahajan's daughter, Poonam Rao, came a poor third in Ghatkopar west, the constituency till now considered a BJP bastion. She lost to MNS��� Ram Kadam, who once was a part of the Mahajan family.

It���s more-or-less the same story all over the state. Sena-BJP had pinned hopes on Vidarbha and Marathwada. But here too the combine faced a near rout. ���Even in Vidarbha and Marathwada region, MNS took 4,000 to 5,000 votes, creating trouble for the saffron alliance,��� said state BJP president Nitin Gadkari adding, a detailed analysis needs to be done over the performance of BJP. Incidentally Mr Gadkari is known for his rather pro-MNS stand.

Vinod Tawde, BJP general secretary, also close to Raj Thackeray, was more candid admitting how the saffron combine miscalculated the MNS strength. ���We underestimated MNS,��� he said. Political observers feel that MNS��� spectacular performance in the election will put a big question mark over Uddhav Thackeray���s leadership and Shiv Sena���s future. It���s Raj, and not Uddhav, who would be seen as filling the void left open by ailing Bal Thackeray.

The Sena���s gamble to project the assembly election as a battle between ���trouble-maker��� Raj and party patriarch Bal Thackeray too backfired. Uddhav���s attempt to paint Raj as some one out to hurt the elderly Sena chief didn���t cut much ice with the voters.

Instead it raised Raj's stature. The MNS chief's strategy not to respond to criticism levelled by Mr Bal Thackeray too worked for him. In the end, Round II of the Sena versus MNS has gone in Raj���s favour.