Fight for five states over, contentious issues will make a comeback ahead of 2024 elections, says Shiv Sena

Contentious issues like hijab are raised with an eye on polls and will get wrapped up as the elections in five states are now over, only to be revived once the 2024 Lok Sabha polls are close, the Shiv Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana' on Monday.

The party said these issues are given a religious colour and are allowed to take precedence over developmental works during elections.

Speaking to reporters, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said people were getting accustomed to this pattern of old issues being resurrected ahead of polls.


People were getting carried away and going with the flow "just like the dead bodies in the Ganga (during the COVID-19 pandemic)", he added.

Issues related to fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, Pakistan and terrorism will be resurrected ahead of the 2024 polls, the Sena said.

The Saamana editorial also dismissed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertion that the poll results in five states, including crucial Uttar Pradesh, were an indication of the outcome of the 2024 general elections.

“Though the BJP has won in Assembly polls in four states, it (the result) will not have any bearing on the (2024) Lok Sabha elections. The fight for the country (general election) will take place in 2024," the Shiv Sena editorial stressed.

The BJP is benefiting from the lack of strong leadership in the opposition ranks and it would "sweat" if an all-acceptable leadership comes to the fore by 2024, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.

"It is true there is no match to Prime Minister Modi's leadership at present. Modi-Shah and their entire team take to the poll battle ruthlessly. Such poll war skills are rarely seen these days. The BJP does not approach polls to win and defeat its opponents, its intention is to completely wipe out opponents," the editorial claimed.

This kind of approach is detrimental to parliamentary democracy, the editorial said, going on to add that such one-party politics was influencing the working of probe agencies.

"The two key pillars of judiciary and executive will collapse if probe agencies are used as political puppets. There will be no point in contesting elections if these two key pillars of democracy are used as political puppets or agents,” the party said, adding that people were also doubtful of the neutrality of the Election Commission.

The Shiv Sena said the BJP won Assembly polls in four states recently due to "polarisation and eyewash", and went on to claim that the UP poll campaign of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi helped to polarise Hindu votes (in favour of BJP).

"How long will this go on...the situation is such that it should provoke one to think, but the capacity to think has been killed. The (BJP's) victory has been achieved only due to this," the Shiv Sena said.